Golden Lightning
by LordTicky
Summary: Angered by an offhand comment from Roy, Riza Hawkeye decides to learn alchemy from Edward Elric. Together, they begin to decipher the meaning of flame alchemy from the remaining notes on Riza's back, and accidently discovering an alchemy just as, or even more powerful than flame. Rated 'T' for swearing. Will upgrade to 'M' later once I get to the actual battle scenes.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. If I did... Well... Honestly I wouldn't change a thing. Why fix what ain't broken?**

Riza Hawkeye was pissed.

Those words alone inspired fear in every person in the military. Everyone, from the lowest Private to the Fuehrer himself knew to keep their head down and keep to themselves. They also knew to stay away from the one man who could possibly get her in that mood. Yes, Roy Mustang was officially on Riza's shit list.

The day had started out simply enough, with Riza discharging a clip from her gun into the wall to 'motivate' her co-workers to actually work, and then grabbing a pre-filled out requisition form for materials to fix the wall. It happened so many times that Havoc eventually set aside a few hours every day to fill out the forms, only leaving the date blank. Riza stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey Riza! No need to waste a perfectly good 'Hawkeye' form." Ed said, a smile on his face.

"Edward?" Riza asked, stunned. "What are you doing here? Last I heard you'd settled back in Resembool."

"Yeah… Well… Paninya came to visit so I decided to make myself scarce." Edward said, rubbing the back of his head.

Riza nodded in understanding. "Is Winry still in the closet or did she finally confess?" Riza asked curiously. The first time that the dark-skinned thief had come to central with Winry, the team had been shocked. The way Winry clung to the automail-wearing girl, doted on her, and paid absolute attention to her whenever she was in the room, it was obvious that Winry was in love. Or at least crushing, and crushing _bad._

"Not sure really." Ed said, tilting his head up to the ceiling, the universal signal for the team that he was remembering something. "She stopped talking about that blacksmith's assistant, but that might just mean he finally got fed up with her and her wrench." Edward stopped talking, looking almost thoughtful.

Riza looked on at the young man in pity, it was obvious he was remembering his and Winry's relationship, and eventual breakup. "So what do you mean when you say that I don't need 'waste' one of the 'Hawkeye' forms?" Riza asked, using the affectionate nickname for the forms the same as Ed had.

"Well, I figure that if I'm here, it's kinda unnecessary isn't it?" Ed said, clapping his hands and pressing them against the wall. The telltale blue sparks of alchemy erupted as the holes seemed to fill themselves in.

"Nice work Edward." Hawkeye said, putting the form back into the neat pile that was kept on standby.

"Yeah, nice job champ!" Havoc said, putting down his pen and allowing his finger to stretch from their cramped position. "That alchemy of yours sure is useful."

"Hmph. Just goes to show that alchemy will beat those guns of yours any day." Mustang said from his office doorway, smirking at Hawkeye in a half-teasing manner.

Riza felt an eyebrow twitch at that. "Not quite true sir. Unlike with alchemy, I don't have to waste time drawing a circle to attack something."

"Neither do I." Roy said, stepping fully out of his office and holding up his hand, the sewn alchemical circle stark against the white cloth of his gloves.

Riza growled mentally, but gave no outward sign of anger. She hated it when Roy flaunted her father's alchemy in her face. "But unlike with you, bullets aren't stopped by rain." Riza said smoothly, wiping the smirk off of Mustang's face.

"Crude weapons like that are the weapons of the weak-minded." Mustang retorted angrily. "Unlike the fire alchemy that I figured out and tuned to perf… ect… Shit." Mustang's sentence petered out as he felt the full weight of Riza's glare against him. He had crossed a line, a big one. It wasn't a well-known fact that Roy Mustangs' much-vaunted flame alchemy was in fact discovered and perfect by Riza's father, Berthold Hawkeye. All of those who knew this also knew that giving Roy the credit for the research in front of Riza was a sure-fire way of getting shot.

"If you will excuse me, _sir_, I believe that there is some paperwork at the front desk that needs to be picked up." Riza said in an icy tone, standing up. "If you will excuse me." Riza brushed past Roy, heading out the door.

And now Riza was wandering central headquarters pissed off at Mustang, alchemy in general, and especially pissed that in her anger she had left the reload clips for her personal handguns in her desk. Of course, she only found that out after she had emptied all of her guns at a Major who had failed to heed her warnings to back off.

Riza was the only person in Amestris who could get away not only with discharging her various firearms in headquarters, but also shooting at superior officers. So long as she never actually hit them.

"Hey Riza, wait up!" A voice said from down the hallway.

Internally Riza bristled at yet another person bothering her. Turning around to snap at the person, since her handguns were empty, Riza found herself stopping as she caught the flash of golden hair approaching her. "Edward?" Riza asked, curiously.

"Hey Riza." Edward said, catching up. "Are you ok? I mean, you were storming out of the office like something was majorly wrong. Was is that damn Mustang? I can throw a few punches at 'im if it'll make you feel better."

Caught off guard by Ed's statement, Riza found herself smiling at Ed's offer of assaulting Mustang for her. "I'm fine Edward. It's just… I get a bit peeved whenever Roy starts talking about his flame alchemy like that."

"Why?" Ed asked curiously.

"It's… Complicated." Riza said with a heavy sigh. "And not something that should be talked about in the middle of a busy hallway." Here, Riza offered a slight smile. The hallway was far from busy, everyone too terrified of Riza to move anywhere near her.

The two blondes vacated to an empty office, of which there were still a few. Most higher-ups were still weary of going back to the rebuilt headquarters even after three years.

"So, now can you tell me what about that bastard's alchemy that pisses you off?" Edward asked, a cheeky smile on his face. "Who knows, maybe we can form a club after this!"

Riza managed another weak smile before her face became grim. "Please Edward, no more jokes. What I'm going to tell you is… Not exactly a secret but it is highly personal."

"Yes ma'am." Edward said, stilling his expression.

"Now then, not many people know this, but Roy's alchemy isn't his."

"What do you mean?"

"Roy's flame alchemy wasn't discovered by him. It was discovered, developed, and perfected at the hands of his mentor, Berthold Hawkeye."

Ed's eyes widened, first at the revelation that the famous alchemy that put Mustang on the map wasn't his own, and then at the further revelation that the person who _had_ discovered it was a Hawkeye. "This… Berthold. Was he…?"

"My father." Riza said in an almost monotone voice. "Such as he was. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't an abusive father, but to him I was second to his alchemy. Roy was his apprentice back when he first started studying alchemy. It's how he and I met. My father finished his work shortly after Roy joined the military. By then, he was in such poor condition from self-neglect that he died shortly after Roy visited him for the last time."

"He… Died? You… Don't think… I mean, I doubt even _he_ would…" Ed said, trying to phrase the question delicately so as not to offend Hawkeye. Ed doubted it, but he also knew that Mustang had hidden depths that quite frankly terrified him.

"You're wondering if Roy might've hastened the process along?" Riza asked with a sad smile. "A lot of people wondered the same thing. No, there were no marks on his body and he was in a very delicate condition to begin with. He was a proud man, my father. Refused to become a state alchemist so that they wouldn't steal his research and even refused my help whenever I tried to care for him. He was even too proud of his alchemy to let it be spread. He destroyed all of his notes almost as soon as he finished it."

"Destroyed? How… How did Mustang get his hands on it then?" Ed asked, confused on the direction the conversation had taken.

"Like most people who've dedicated their lives to knowledge, my father couldn't bear to have his life's work obliterated like that. He…" Riza hesitated, clearly not wanting to continue. Nonetheless, she took a deep breath and forged onward in her explanation. "My father tattooed the completed formulae and all essential notes in his own personal encryption on my back shortly before he died."

"He WHAT?!" Ed exclaimed, bolting upright, an intense fire burning in his eyes. "That mangy… Rotten… If he was still alive..."

"Edward! Calm down!" Riza commanded, cocking her gun. It was of course, empty, but Edward didn't know that.

Edward paused mid-rant and obediently sat down. "But-"

"Quiet." Riza commanded.

Ed immediately shut his mouth.

"Shortly after my father died, Roy paid me a visit. My father had told Roy that I was in possession of a copy of his notes on flame alchemy. I allowed him to study my back. Luckily for him, he knew enough about my father to decrypt everything. After that I asked him for a favor… I asked him to burn the formulae off of my back." As soon as Riza said this, she launched herself forward, slapping her hand over Ed's mouth, blocking to scream of rage that was about to erupt from him. After a few minutes in which Riza had to continue her restraining hold, Ed finally calmed down.

"That bastard's going to _die!_" Ed said in a deathly calm voice, standing up.

So much for calm.

Riza ripped one her guns from the holster and pointed it at Edward, cocking it readily. "Sit back down Edward."

"Riza, I've been in the military for a long time now. I _know_ what a loaded gun sounds like." Ed said, walking towards the door.

"_So much for that plan."_ Riza thought to herself. "Edward wait! _Please!_"

Ed whirled around, an expression of rage on his face. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill that bastard for what he did to you!"

Riza found herself feeling a bit touched that Edward clearly cared so much for her, that he was ready to kill their superior for an incident from years back. On the other hand, she was beginning to feel a bit peeved that he was acting so strongly.

"Well first off…" Riza began, keeping an icy calm tone to match Ed's, "I _asked_ him to do it. If word ever got out that those notes were on my back then people who desire the power of flame alchemy would be after me. It's also why it's such a big secret. Roy… Didn't want to hurt me any more than necessary. He destroyed only the key parts. But the knowledge that still remains could prove valuable to the right people."

"I… See." Ed said, calming down and walking back over to Hawkeye. "So you're upset because he was lording his alchemy over you, despite how much you sacrificed for it. And how much you sacrificed for _him_ to have it."

Riza smiled. It took spelling out the whole story for the genius boy to finally understand, but she was glad that he took the time to. "That's right." Riza said, nodding her head. "But not entirely. Truth be told… I'm actually kind of jealous."

"What do you have to be jealous of Mustang for Hawkeye?" Edward asked. "You're ten times the person that womanizing bastard is!"

Riza smiled sadly at Ed. "Because, he's the one who wields my father's legacy. I've never told this to anyone… But after my father died I intended to learn alchemy. Eventually, I was going to decode the formulae on my back so that I could wield the power of my father's life's work. But Roy beat me to it…" Riza bowed her head, a look of far-off sadness in her eyes.

"Well, why not learn it now?" Edward asked. "Alchemy that is. Then Mustang can't tease you about it and you could still honor your father."

"It's not that simple Ed…" Riza sighed. "I _only_ wanted to learn alchemy to honor my father. I honestly wouldn't mind doing that still, but Roy burned the key notes off my back."

"So what?" Ed asked. "There's no such thing as useless information. If nothing else, researching the remaining notes will give you a heading on where to begin."

"But who would teach me the basics?" Riza asked with a challenging eyebrow. "I wouldn't approach Roy with this if my life depended on it. And Major Armstrong can't keep a secret to save his life. The only other alchemist I would trust to teach me is you, and frankly I don't trust you with flame alchemy."

Ed winced at Riza's brutal statement. "What would I need flame alchemy for? My specialties are earth and bio-alchemy. I mean, from an academic standpoint I would love to study flame alchemy to see how it's done, but I have no use for it personally. Besides, from what little I DO know of it, I'd need those fancy gloves that Mustang's so proud of, and you've seen how hard I am on my clothing. Then again… If I carved the transmutation circle into the back plate and replaced my thumb with a flint then I could theoretically replicate his glove with my automail and be able to use the alchemy without having to worry about a flimsy piece of cloth. And it'd have the added bonus of being able to use flame alchemy in the rain. But I wonder if using steel and flint for the spark would affect the result explosion in any way? I'd need to test this… Maybe see if Winry can make me some spare arms…"

At the mention of the blond automail mechanic, Riza decided to interrupt Ed's musings. "No use for flame alchemy huh?" She said, a small smile on her face. Ed, at least, had the small amount of decency to look a bit sheepish at her statement.

"Sorry Riza. Got caught up in my own musings. My own… Enthusiasm aside. I would be honored if you would allow me to teach you alchemy." Ed said with a smile, extending his flesh arm for a handshake.

"As long as I don't have to worry about Winry making you any 'spare arms' I have no problem with it." Riza said after a moment of deliberation. Reaching out her own hand, they shook to show their agreement.

At that very moment, Brigadier General Roy Mustang felt a slow chill make its way up his spine. "I have a bad feeling that I just did something to royally fuck myself." Roy said with a sigh, before digging in to the mountain of paperwork that he was doing in an attempt to mollify Hawkeye whenever she came back into the office.

**Hey all! I hope you liked the first chapter of my Fullmetal Alchemist fanfiction! A few things about the fic: This takes place about 3 years after the promised day. Winry is in love with, or at least heavily crushing on, Paninya who is the dark-skinned girl with automail legs from the Rush Valley arc. I have a reason for this and it will be explained in good time. I've always liked how in other fics (and sometimes in the anime), Riza would use superior firepower to get her coworkers moving. So I'm making her just the tiniest bit trigger-happy in this fic. If you don't like it, I would love to hear your complaints. And finally, as I've had Ed himself point out, I'm making Ed specialize in earth and biology based alchemy. Why? Because whenever he used his alchemy in battle, he would almost always transmute either earth or metal. The only two exceptions I can think of is in the 'Seiren' episode of the 2003 anime where he dried himself off with alchemy after getting splashed by water, and in the manga after the Briggs arc where he fashioned himself a new set of clothes out of some store-bought cloth. I'm also having him specialize in biological alchemy because he's been studying human transmutation for, what? 6-7 years? And he studied under at least one chimera master. I suspect that with all he knows Ed might could be a chimera master himself if he truly wanted to be. Anyways, I hope you all liked it and will follow and review. Also, still looking for a beta reader if anyone's interested.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer time! I do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist, but it IS awesome.**

It had been a week since Edward had agreed to teach Riza alchemy. Roy had apologized to the blonde sniper numerous times, but she still maintained a cool attitude with him. Roy had to understand that this time, mere words weren't going to satisfy her.

Edward and Riza were finally settling down for their first alchemy lesson. Ed, in a shocking display of common sense, had chosen the empty parade ground to be their practice area.

"Now then, alchemy is all about equivalent exchange." Ed said to Riza, who was watching him with a bored look on her face. "And you can look at me like that all you want Riza, but I need to make sure you understand the principle behind alchemy before you start practicing."

"Believe it or not, I DID pick up a few things listening to Mustang's alcohol-fueled rants." Riza said, the bored look still on her face. "Besides, I highly doubt that you understood the basic principles when _you_ first started practicing alchemy." Riza smiled at her verbal jab at the young alchemist.

"And it literally cost me an arm and a leg." Ed deadpanned. Riza flinched as she was reminded yet again of the ordeals of the Elric brothers. "And if you truly think you know all you need to know to get started…" Ed smiled as he handed Riza a sheet of paper with a circle inscribed on it. "That's the formulae for a basic earth alchemy. Whether creating a spike or a wall. How would you modify this circle if the earth you were trying to affect earth that had a 40% iron content and a 15% clay content in addition to being prone to crumbling?"

Riza gave Ed a blank stare. "Wouldn't it stay the same? I mean, I've seen many alchemists use that symbol on many different types of earth."

"You're half-right." Ed said, putting the paper down on the parade ground. Touching the circle and feeding some energy into it, Ed created a wall four feet high and a foot thick, but it crumbled almost immediately after Ed stopped feeding it energy. "It will still create a wall, but not as big or as stable as one you'd get with a customized circle. For example…" This time, Ed clapped his hands and pressed them to the ground. A ten-foot high wall instantly rose out of the ground, and almost two feet thick. And this time, it stayed. "Whenever I transmute by clapping, I still have to visualize the formulae that I use. Though you can't see into my mind, I was using a different formulae this time around."

"Would you mind showing me the formulae that you used then?" Riza asked with an eyebrow raised at the display she had witnessed. "I find it hard to believe that altering a circle could change the result this much."

"I guess seeing _is_ believing for you career military types." Ed said with a grin as he began to alter the circle on the paper.

"Says the man who got a free pass out of the military only to return a few years later because he got bored." Riza said in return, a rare smile on her face.

"There were other factors!" Ed said defensively sitting down as he handed the paper back to Riza. On it the circle remained the same, but it had a second circle drawn around the first, with alchemic circles drawn around it.

"The circle's the same." Riza said with a frown as she examined the paper again.

"The secret is in the symbols around the edge. "Ed said with a smirk, enjoying the fact that for once he had more knowledge in a subject than the blonde sniper. A rare feeling indeed. "They're alchemic glyphs that denote the chemicals I was altering." Ed said, pointing at a few. "That one's the symbol for iron, and that one's for water. That's needed for the compression. Of course, the symbol for earth is unnecessary as that's what the circle itself represents. Adding it would only cause a larger drain of energy."

"I… See." Riza said unconvincingly.

Ed grinned. "Comprehension takes time Hawkeye. That's why we're only covering the basics today. Still, any questions before we continue?"

Riza though for a moment. "How do you shape the reaction? I've noticed that whenever you transmute, the things you transmute seem to be a little… Demonic. Similarly, I've noticed that Armstrong's transmutations tend to be more refined."

"My transmutations aren't demonic! They're just too awesome for you boring military types to acknowledge!" Ed shouted, waving his arms around. Riza was polite enough not to point out that Edward was military too. "Anyways, it's a matter of visualization. Basically, if I wanted to create a statue it would come out as I visualize it, providing I did the transmutation correctly anyway. My transmutations come out _awesome_…" Ed stretched that word as he glared at Riza, who was holding back a smile at the young alchemist's antics. "Because that's how I visualize them. Same goes for Armstrong. Of course, if the alchemist in question doesn't visualize, such as in battle, the results tend to reflect the alchemist's personality. Though it makes you wonder about Armstrong that his unfocused transmutations is usually a statuette of himself flexing."

Riza allowed herself another small smile as she recalled reviewing the evidence from the Devil's Nest assault. One of the pieces had been a hammer that Armstrong had transmuted as he was batting it out of the way, with the head transformed into a statuette of Armstrong flexing, complete with his missing shirt.

"I'd heard of that incident." Riza said. "So Armstrong's transmutations when he's not concentrating usually results in a statue of himself, I'm guessing because of how proud he is of both himself and his family history. Alphonse's transmutations are usually made up of soft lines, reflecting his gentle personality. I don't think I've ever seen the Brigadier General use earth-style transmutation outside of the occasional stone wall. And as for you…" Here, Riza smiled a full-blown smile. "Your transmutations end up looking demonic as, in the Brigadier General's words, you're an evil, twisted runt of a man."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO TINY THAT THE SMALLEST PIECE OF SAND LOOKS LIKE A GOD-DAMN MOUNTAIN TO HIM?!" Edward instantly yelled out, arms waving in a comical fashion.

Riza waited for Ed's tantrum to simmer down before talking again. "I thought you'd be more accepting of that by now Edward. Isn't that what you sacrificed?"

Ed grunted before looking away. "…I don't want to talk about it." He mumbled.

Riza now frowned as she looked at Edward's sullen form. "Are you sure Edward? I mean, I doubt that you've talked to anyone about this. It's best not to hold such feelings in."

"Winry knows." Edward said shortly. "Remember? The only reason you know is because Winry insisted on knowing how we pulled off getting our bodies back before she re-installed my automail and you were the one escorting us." Ed fell silent before sending a sidelong glance at Hawkeye. "Thanks for not telling anyone by the way."

Riza nodded at Ed. It was no secret among the military that Edward had gained and lost his arm in the final battle against the homunculus 'Father'. In fact, Roy had personally approached Edward while he and Al were in the hospital and told him that the military was paying not only for the surgery and custom limb, but was also setting up a line of credit for all future repairs. A national thanks for Ed's defeat of the homunculi.

What _was_ a secret was what Edward had to give up in order to get his brother back. He told them that part of the deal was his arm. It was the price of Al's soul. But the price of Al's body? It was more complicated. Edward gave up his height.

It was well known that Ed hated being short. So when the Truth had told him that he would grow to be much taller after his brother was returned, Ed was ecstatic. Ecstatic, that is, until he realized that he could not give up his alchemy. It was what defined him, it was at the core of who he was. So when Ed begged the Truth for an alternative, one was given to him. He would keep his child-like stature and appearance, forever. And in return, Alphonse would finally be given his body back.

Mustang, Havoc, and even Breda still made cracks about him being a midget, and Edward would still get pissed about it, but Winry and Riza both looked on at the alchemist with respect each time he went on his tirades. Because they knew what he had sacrificed for the sake of his brother.

"…Enough about that." Edward said, standing back up. "Try drawing the basic circle, when you're done we'll see if you can create something small."

"It occurs to me Ed…" Riza said as she concentrated on slowly drawing the circle so as not to mess it up. "Why are we focusing on earth alchemy when I approached you to learn my father's flame alchemy?"

"Because earth-based alchemy is the simplest type to learn, and as such is where the basics are taught." Ed said patiently. "Flame alchemy, and all energy-based alchemy in general, is complicated as hell. It's also incredibly dangerous. Even I'm apprehensive about studying it. It's the type of alchemy where the wrong move will be your last move. That circle looks kind of wonky. Re-draw it."

Riza scowled but did as she was instructed, re-drawing the circle. "If you're so apprehensive about flame alchemy, why are you helping me with it?" Riza asked as she finished the circle and held it up for Ed's inspection.

"Because I promised you I would." Ed said simply, examining the transmutation circle Riza had drawn. "Very good. Now then, place it on the ground and pour some dirt into the circle. As long as it does not disrupt the outer circle it's fine. After that, you must place your hands on the outer boundary and insert your energy into it. This is where it's more make-or-break. Each alchemist does this in a different way, and it's next to impossible to describe exactly what you're doing when you do it. Don't get discouraged if you fail at first, many do. Like with all skills, this is something that you must practice."

Riza did as instructed, placing her hands so that only the very tips of her fingers brushed against the edges of the circle. Closing her eyes, Riza tried doing as Ed had instructed. To little result. Riza sighed. Well, Edward HAD said that this was the most difficult part. Clearing her mind, Riza tried again. She clawed her way through her subconscious mind, trying to find her 'energy'. After awhile, Riza began feeling warm. Not from the sun though, it was more of an inside heat. These internal flames rose higher and higher, scorching Riza's mind, searching for a release. Riza snapped her eyes open, and the first thing that she noticed was the transmutation circle. Suddenly Riza saw a flash of blue, and then blackness as she passed out.

Edward Elric grins at Riza's prone form as he examines the transmutation circle on the ground. The young prodigy bit back his laughter, knowing that Riza would need her rest after her first transmutation. Ed wondered if the end result of the transmutation was a reflection of her personality or military career, but nevertheless Ed bends down and picks up Riza to carry her back to headquarters, while slipping into his pocket the perfectly transmutated clip of bullets that Riza had made to show her when she woke up.

**This chapter's a bit shorter than my last one. Sorry it took so long to get this up, my internet's been down for the past month. ANYWAYS Edward explains Alchemy, and the story on how he got Al back. Please read and review. Flamers be warned, I find your pathetic flaming attempts amusing. Roy Mustang you are not. Speaking of reviews, here are my responses to a few.**

** sillyedward: I'm glad that you loved the first chapter and I hope that you enjoyed the second.**

** Quinn1989: I acknowledge that while Ed has a pretty good knowledge of the soul, his only example of soul alchemy was binding Al's soul to the armor. Anime Al, after getting his body back, is the one I consider a soul specialist. Besides, I was putting that in the bio-alchemy category anyway. And while Ed IS a prodigy, that doesn't mean that he can automatically do any form of alchemy. For example, in 'The Other Brothers Elric', Ed had to rely on the Al imposter to grow the trees that absorbed the red water since he didn't have a good knowledge of plant-based alchemy. Also, I'm glad you liked the beginning.**

** Lawrence Helmbain: You have asked, and I have done.**

**Finally I want to give a shout out to ZakuroU. He's a great writer and you should definitely check out his work.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Well, technically I do. I own some of the manga. But I don't actually own the series.**

Edward was a rather bright person. He was an alchemy prodigy, which lended well to his knowledge of general science, reading, and mathematics. All of his traveling had taught him a lot about geography, as well as interred many different social skills in him. Ed's research into human alchemy had even accidently revealed quite a lot about Amestris's, Xing's, and even Xerxes' history. And even his time in the military had taught him how to write a decent report. But despite all of the things that Edward knew, there were still many things that he _didn't_ know.

For example, Edward didn't know that Riza Hawkeye had a grandfather. Or that her grandfather was the Fuehrer. Or that an invitation for tea could be so god-damned _terrifying._

So when Edward found all three of these previously unknown facts conglomerating into a meeting with the Fuehrer shortly after depositing Riza at the on-base clinic to rest, he was justifiably scared shitless.

_Flashback_

_Ed handed off Riza to the doctor, who looked quite shocked at the sight of the unconscious blonde woman. Not that Edward could blame him. Riza was the pinnacle of health. She took perfect care of herself, had no hereditary illnesses, and even the yearly bought of flu that would ravage headquarters feared to touch her._

"_Er… What happened to her?" The doctor asked, somewhat fearfully. After all, did he truly want to know what could take down the legendary 'Hawk's Eye'?_

"_Just a minor case of exhaustion." Edward said with a reassuring smile. "We were… Er… Doing some exercises when I guess she just pushed herself too hard." Edward kept silent about what those exercises were, not sure if Riza would want the fact that she was learning alchemy to become public knowledge or not._

"_I see…" The doctor said, narrowing his eyes at the small alchemist. This particular doctor happened to be an old friend of the Fuehrer's, and knew of his relation to the blonde sniper. "Would you care to tell me what these… 'Excercises' were? For diagnostic purposes of course."_

_Ed laughed nervously as he tried to think of something to cover up the alchemy lessons. As a result, he completely missed the suspicious tone in the doctor's voice. "Er… They were some new exercises that my automail mechanic taught me! They're an effective workout regime so I was teaching them to Riza."_

_The doctor internally sighed. The blond man in front of him was a terrible liar. "Very well then. I'll keep her here and let her rest. Are you going to stay here with her Mr. Elric?"_

_Ed didn't even pause at the doctor's use of his name, despite having never given it. The blond alchemist was easily recognized the country over, but especially in Central. Defeating several crazed homunculi who were trying to kill everyone IN said country tended to do wonders for your fame. "Nah, I should probably check around and see if there's any work for me to do." Edward still traveled quite a lot, acting as a messenger/inspector/spy/saboteur for the military depending on where he went and what the local situation was. But every so often when he was in Central he had to deal with that which vexed all soldiers of any rank. Paperwork._

_With a jaunty wave and a cocky grin, Edward left the office._

_The doctor sighed. He made sure that Riza was resting in a comfortable position on the couch that she had been placed on before picking up the phone. "Hello. Doctor Wells requesting a conversation with Fuehrer Grumman. Tell him that it's about his granddaughter."_

_Ed grumbled as he let the pencil slide from his grip, flexing his hand to get rid of the tension that had accumulated there. Surprisingly, this particular stack wasn't for any of the myriad accidents that had happened during Ed's last mission, but was instead an incident report saying that he had performed alchemy in a public office, the reason why, what type of alchemy, and why he had even been in the office at the time. For once in his life, Edward sympathized with Roy Mustang. No wonder the man was an asshole if he had to deal with all of this on a daily basis!_

_Thankfully, his work was cut short by a summons dropped on his desk by a passing secretary. Almost ripping it open, Ed found that it was a summons to the Fuehrer's office. Repressing an urge to yell in delight at the interruption to his paperwork, Ed practically ran to the office, not knowing what he was heading toward._

_Inside the office, the form of Fuehrer Grumman was seen at his desk. Surprisingly, there was also a tray with a pot of tea and two cups on the desk._

"_Ah, Mr. Elric! Come in please!" Grumman said, pouring the steaming tea into the two cups. "Please, don't bother saluting. I just have some things that I would like to discuss with you."_

_Ed walked over to the desk and sat down in the empty chair in front of Grumman. He hadn't really planned on saluting anyways. "What can I do for you sir?" Edward asked respectfully, a rare tone for him even now, taking one of the cups of tea after it was indicated that he do so._

"_I just got a call from a friend of mind down in the clinic. He told me that my granddaughter was just checked in." Grumman said casually, sipping at his tea._

"_You have a granddaughter sir?" Ed asked, taking a sip of his own._

"_Yes, I do." Grumman said, putting the tea down on the tray. "You might know her by the name of Riza Hawkeye."_

_Edward instantly choked on his tea at the mention of his student/friend. "R-Really sir?" Edward asked weakly._

"_Yes indeed." Grumman said, now fixing Edward with a piercing glare. "And he strongly indicated that you were the one responsible for her condition."_

_Flashback end_

Edward managed to briefly avoid answering the Fuehrer due to his sudden coughing fit. Unfortunately, this only really served to increase Grumman's suspicions of the blond.

"Well Fullmetal? I'm waiting for your explanation." Grumman said, fingers together and head low, the light reflecting off of his glasses. Despite the old man's age and grandfatherly appearance, Edward found that at that moment Fuehrer Grumman was the single most terrifying man he'd ever met.

"Well… Uh…" Edward began, trying to get a feel of just how dangerous the waters he was currently in was. "J-Just what exactly did the doctor say, exactly?"

Having expected such a response, Grumman carefully picked up a paper off of his desk. "Doctor Wells had this medical report faxed to me after he had finished filling it out. It says that you had _carried_ Riza in due to her being unconscious, reporting that her state was due to a mild case of exhaustion. When asked, you had reported the exhaustion being caused from some 'exercises'. When asked to elaborate, you gave the doctor a, and I am quoting directly from what is written here, 'a piss-poor excuse for a blatant lie'. The doctor concludes that he believes your evasion and Riza's condition to be a cover-up for some… Illicit activities."

"W-W-What do you mean sir?" Ed asked, shaking in his chair as he tried to take a sip of his tea to calm his nerves.

"I'll just say it bluntly as I'd rather not beat around the bush anymore." Grumman said, raising his head to stare directly at Edward. "Are you, Edward Elric, having sexual relations with my granddaughter?"

This time, instead of choking on his tea, Edward outright spit it out all over the Fuehrer's desk, though it thankfully missed Grumman himself. "W-What the hell?! How can you even begin to ask a question like that?" Edward yelled, getting up and pointing a shaky finger at Grumman. "Of course not!"

"Really?" Grumman asked with a raised eyebrow, clearly questioning Edward's words. "Then why evade the questions the doctor asked, and then outright lie to him? Tell me, what _exactly_ were you doing with Riza that caused her to pass out?"

Ed hesitated for only the briefest of instants. He knew that a lot rode on how he answered this question. And his mother HAD said that honest was the best policy. Besides, this man might understand. "Well sir…" Edward let out a deep sigh. "Riza's exhaustion comes from an over expenditure of energy due to alchemy."

"So… You were performing alchemy on my granddaughter?" Grumman asked for clarification, his tone soft but his aura that of a bloodthirsty demon about to move in for the kill.

"N-No! Of course not!" Edward said, backing away from the desk, holding his hands up in a pacifying gesture. Seriously, Edward felt like he'd rather go through a second Promised Day than further piss off this man. "Riza came to me to learn alchemy! Mustang said a few things that pissed her off a week or so back and she decided to learn her father's flame alchemy! I was starting her out on earth alchemy and she passed out after her first transmutation!"

It took a moment for Fuehrer Grumman to process what Edward had said. It took another moment for him to calm down enough to actually think on it. "Alchemy…?" He asked with a dull tone.

"Yes sir! She even managed to successfully pull off a perfect transmutation first time!" Edward said, hurriedly digging out the clip that Riza had transmutated and presenting it to Grumman.

"Alchemy… My granddaughter is learning alchemy and the first thing she transmutated is a clip of bullets." Grumman said with the same dull tone as he took the clip from Edward and examined it. It looked like a standard military clip, minus any markings that denoted caliber or serial number. "…You taught Riza Hawkeye how to make her own bullets with alchemy. God help us all."

"Does… Does that mean you believe me sir?" Edward asked, silently hoping that he'd be able to leave the office without losing any more of his limbs.

"I do…" Grumman sighed, handing the clip back to Edward. "The relationship between Riza and her father has always been a strange one. One the one hand, he never laid a hand on her. But on the other hand, he never did anything else either. I think that the only way Berthold ever acknowledged that he had a daughter was in his will. He may have been poor, but he made sure to leave her no debts and even set up a fund for any secondary schooling she might wish to have. Still, this drove Riza to prove herself to him." Grumman sighed and took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose before putting the glasses back on and turning to Edward. "I know that she said she wishes to honor her father's memory. But this may turn out to be her last chance. Her last chance to, even posthumously, gain her father's approval. This… She'll drive herself Edward. I know it. She'll push to the breaking point and push some more after that. Reminds me of another blond that I know."

Edward scratched the back of his head nervously. It was true, he had done a lot of reckless and outright dangerous and morally questionable things in his quest to restore his and Al's bodies.

"Edward…" Grumman sighed. For the first time in the entire meeting, Fuehrer Grumman looked every second of his age. "I've never outright supported Riza, in fact I've kept her family tree fairly secret to protect her. But with this… Alchemy is dangerous. You, more than anyone, knows this. Please, I want you to swear to me. On your life, you will protect Riza even as you teach her."

Edward smiled and stood up. He looked Grumman straight in the eye as he snapped off, for probably the first time to anyone in the military, a crisp salute. "Sir, you have my word that Riza will be protected. Not that she really needs it. I know you're worried Fuehrer, but she's a tough woman. If that will be all sir, I should probably head back. Paperwork, I'm sure that you understand."

Grumman chuckled slightly at Ed's parting quip as the blond walked out of the office before returning to his own papers. After a few minutes of shuffling, Grumman came across an old picture. It featured a gaunt-faced man with topaz eyes and dark hair, a woman with blonde hair with her eyes closed as she laughed, and a small child with her mother's hair and her father's eyes. "I hope you're right about Riza, Edward." Grumman muttered softly as he took the picture out of the frame and slipped it into his coat pocket. "I truly hope that you are right."

**Hello, my freaky darlings! (League of Extraordinary Gentleman joke) Today, I have internet! I know that many of you don't care, but I do and that's all that matters. To celebrate my internet, have a chapter! Which I actually just finished today. I tried making it so that Grumman would be like the regular pissed-off (grand)parent, assuming the worst of the situation until the full explanation is given. Now then, I know that in canon Riza was mildly terrified of her dad, and that's part of what I wanted to address with this chapter. Part of what I think terrified Riza was her father's indifference to her, so in a way that creates a need in Riza to steal some of her father's attention, even if it's in the roundabout way of wielding the flame alchemy that he so lovingly developed. I'm not a psychologist so if that sounds dodgy, I apologize.**

**Review responses!**

** waytheballbounces: Yes I HAVE read that particular story and many others of ZakuroU's. It's why I gave him that shoutout.**

** SilverZinogre: I'm glad that I got your attention, now let's hope I can keep it.**

** Quinn1989: That is EXACTLY what I was going for.**

** ZakuroU: I'm glad that you liked how I explained how they got Al's body back. To be honest, I had been a bit worried that that particular scene wouldn't go over well.**

** Guest: Thank you for pointing that out.**

** The rest of you: I'm glad that you all found it amusing that Riza's first transmutation was a clip of bullets.**

**Last but not least I want to give a shoutout to Dobby's Socks! He writes a variety of fanfiction but the reason he earns this shoutout is due to his wonderful FMA story, The Lost Fullmetal Heart! I HIGHLY reccommend that you give it a read.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Still don't own FMA, but I'm still loving it!**

It had been three weeks since Ed's visit with Fuhrer Grumman. In that time, Riza had rapidly progressed with her alchemy. Upon waking up in the clinic, the blond sniper had immediately sought out Edward to find out what had happened with her transmutation attempt. As expected, she had gotten a huge kick out of finding out that her first attempt had been a clip of bullets. Though it had saddened her a little when she found out that the bullets had been solid iron, and that she couldn't fire them.

Impressed with how Riza had created an iron compound out of a basic earth circle, Ed continually pushed her and, by extension, himself to master earth alchemy. After a week, Riza could endlessly transmute stone to iron with little effort. After two, she could manipulate the trace elements to create gunpowder. And now, after three weeks, she had successfully combined the two techniques to create her own, infinite supply of bullets. When Grumman read that particular report from Ed, he got a chastisement from his secretary for drinking on the job.

Riza had been a bit pissed with Edward when she found out about his weekly reports to her grandfather, but she had only wasted two clips of bullets on her 'target practice' before she realized that Ed likely had no choice in the matter and that Grumman was only trying to look out for her. It still didn't stop her from using a third clip on the Fuhrer.

At this point, Mustang still had no idea what his trusted right hand and his troublesome subordinate were doing together. He knew that the two had been spending a lot of time together, but Riza explained it away as Ed teaching her some of his hand to hand fighting skills, which was somewhat true. Following his teachings of a healthy body was crucial to alchemy, Ed had regular spars with Riza, who had begun incorporating Ed's moves into her fighting style.

With all the time that had passed, and with Riza's rapid progress with earth alchemy, Edward decided that it was finally time to begin researching the notes on her back.

"You know, you never did explain to me why I can't help you with those notes." Riza said, staring at her fellow blonde with undisguised boredom as Edward pored over a picture of the broken formula on Riza's back. The pair were currently located at the two-bedroom apartment that Ed lived in. The second bedroom, usually empty, was where the two had set up shop. Riza was sitting on the spare bed looking through a textbook while Ed had commandeered the desk for his research.

"I explained it to you a month ago." Edward said irritably. "Energy based transmutations are dangerous and should only be attempted by experienced alchemists! I mean, sure you're picking up the basics as fast as I did, but I also got overconfident and did things that I shouldn't have done." Edward's gaze briefly drifted to his artificial arm. "You've only been studying alchemy for a month Riza…" Edward said, his tone softer this time. "You're a genius, I won't deny it. If you had applied yourself to this when you were my age, you'd have been a name bigger than all the generals combined." Edward smirked a bit at that thought before his expression hardened and he turned to face to blonde sniper. "But you have to go slow! If you do this before you're ready, you can die. Or even worse, you can succeed. You'll just go on, mastering new heights. And then, when you finally fail, you'll crash and never get back up." Ed turned his eyes back to the picture, but it was clear his attention was somewhere else.

"…Who was it?" Riza asked after a minute of silence.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ed asked, focusing his attention back on the here and now.

"Who do you know that failed like that." Riza said. "And don't give me an excuse. I know you far too well for that."

Ed looked at Riza before giving a tired sigh. "I guess there really is no fooling you, is there?" Edward paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts before answering. "Majhal. That was his name. He was a genius alchemist, could have gone state but he wanted to stay with his girlfriend. But there was an accident. He thought she died and went crazy trying to bring her back. Turns out she survived, but had amnesia. When she regained her memory and tried telling him who she was, he didn't believe her because he was so far gone."

"There's more to that story, isn't there?" Riza said softly, noting a pained look in Ed's eyes.

"…During the fight, Majhal created a sword to fight me with. I kicked it out of his hand and it ended up impaling him." Edward shifted his head, letting his long bangs cover his eyes.

"It wasn't your fault Edward." Riza said immediately, knowing full well of the blonde's guilt complex. "He was the one who started the fight and tried committing murder."

"He didn't try anything." Edward said. "He had at least three deaths on his hands that I'm aware of. All of them young women. He thought that transmuting their souls into dolls made to look like his girlfriend would somehow bring her back."

"Then that man was a monster who doesn't deserve your pity, much less your guilt." Riza said, getting up from the bed and walking over to Ed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Tell me, what happened after this Majhal died?"

"I… I rescued Clause, his latest victim. He was just about to transmute her soul when I barged in." Ed said, a bit of a spark returning to his eyes as he looked at Riza.

"Then see? By stopping Majhal, you managed to rescue a child's life." Riza said wisely, repeating a lesson that was taught to all green soldiers to handle how to kill.

"Yeah, you're right…" Ed said before focusing back on the picture still held in his hand, eager to escape from this particular topic. "But I think I found the basic formula for flame alchemy." Ed pointed to a line of runes at the bottom left of the picture.

"You know, you've told me why we haven't even begun trying to figure out the formula until now, but you've never told me why we need to decipher the runes that my father used." Riza said, tapping the picture. "The alchemic circle shown here is almost exactly the same as the one Roy uses. And in all actuality, I could just copy down Roy's circle for our own uses since I have that circle committed to memory from having seen it so many times."

Ed just smiled before standing up and beckoning for Riza to follow him. He led the confused sniper through the streets and to an empty park, all the while not uttering so much as a word. It was time to demonstrate to Riza why she shouldn't doubt him. Clapping his hands together, Ed created a small bunker and motioned for Riza to step inside, before walking a fair distance and drawing a circle on the grass using some ink that he had randomly pulled out of his pockets. He quickly drew what Riza, even at the distance between them, recognized as the transmutation circle drawn on Roy's gloves. Evidently, Ed had memorized the circle as well. With that completed, Ed seemed to concentrate for a moment before touching the edges of the circle. Almost instantly, a huge pillar of flame leapt shot into the air, the flames only constrained by the circle. The light created by the flame blinded anyone who looked at it, heating the air to an ungodly temperature.

Riza could only watch the dancing flame in horror, thinking that the flames had consumed Edward. _"I never should have asked him to help me with flame alchemy!"_ Riza thought, tears in her eyes as the pillar began to die down. _"Wait! Is that…?"_

The light died down and after a few seconds of rapid blinking Riza was able to see again. Walking away from a patch of earth that looked like hell itself threw up on it was Edward Elric, a cocky grin on his face and looking remarkably fine.

"That…" Edward said as he came within hearing range. "Was me only trying to get a flame about a foot hig- Oof!" Edward was suddenly stopped by a teary-eyed blonde bashing him on the head before hugging him.

"If you ever do something that god-damned stupid without telling me first…" Riza began, shocking Ed since she almost never cursed. "…I will personally shoot you so full of lead that people will think that you're a statue!"

Ed hesitated a bit before returning the hug, comforting the blonde before speaking up. "Don't worry Riza. I just wanted to demonstrate to you why this alchemy was too dangerous to rush into. I promise that next time I'll tell you before I do something like that." Suddenly, a spark shot through Ed's brain before he paled. "But… Uh… We should probably get out of here and fast. Like, REALLY fast!"

"…Why?" Riza asked cautiously, wondering what Edward could have possibly done when Riza had been with him all day, the both of them having taken the day off to study.

"Because I just shot a pillar of flame a mile high into the air and that kind of thing gets noticed and investigated." Ed said, untangling himself from Riza before grabbing her arm and dragging her to the nearest entrance.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" A voice rang out through the park, stopping the two in their tracks. A shadowy figure walked up from the entrance the pair had been heading towards and walked up to them, revealing the deadly serious and extremely pissed-off expression of one Roy Mustang. "Now why don't one of you tell me just what the hell happened here?!"

**Two updates in a month? WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?! Anyways, this chapter's a little short but at least the story's progressing! Roy finally catches them in the act and he is NOT happy about it! This was also the first instance where I bring in events from the 2003 anime. Keep in mind that this fic will mostly take place in the mangaverse though. Also, I'm not really that good at emotional scenes since I'm just a heartless bastard so please feel free to tell me how I can make this chapter better since I wrote not one, but two emotional scenes in it. Flamers be warned... Well, actually there havn't BEEN any flamers yet. To be honest, I'm mildly dissappointed. But, on the bright side, I guess this means that I'm doing something right. Anyways, on to review responses!**

** darkpaladin89: Grumman didn't get promoted to Fuhrer by counting bottlecaps, now did he?**

** darklinks100: It will be Ed/Riza, but not in the way you think. I'm aiming for a brother/sister relationship with those two, not a romantic one.**

** ZakuroU: I didn't think that I needed to clarify this, but I suppose that I might as well. This fic WILL feature lightning alchemy eventually. It's a slow process though.**

**And finally, a new shoutout! In honor of the two reviews asking if this story was going to be Ed/Riza, I give you flaminghotalchemist! This author has written 8 FMA stories, including a trilogy based on a romantic relationship between Riza and Ed. Not everyone's cup of tea, but it had some pretty funny scenes. Until next time then!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Don't own FMA. But it's one of my favorite manga/anime.**

Roy Mustang was pissed. He was _beyond_ pissed. He was _furious_.

_Flashback_

_Roy's day had started out normally enough, with him being neck-deep in paperwork from the moment that he got into work to the moment he left. The only odd moment had been when Riza had clocked out early with Ed, but he wrote that off due to the explanation that they were having a sparring session and wanted to do it while there was still daylight out._

_Roy was walking home, muttering about lucky blondes and ungrateful runts (Riza and Edward respectively), when the pillar of flame had appeared. For a brief instant, night had become day and a wave of heat pressed down on the Brigadier General._

_In a flare of panic, Roy ran towards the park where the pillar of flame had come from, slipping on his gloves as he did so. Reaching one of the many entrances to the park, Mustang slipped into the shadows, his combat training taking over._

_What he saw shocked him._

_An area of the park was demolished. No, not demolished. _Vaporized_. The intense heat of the flame pillar had vaporized the surrounding foliage. This gave Roy an unobstructed view of two things. The first, was the disturbingly familiar sight of an alchemical circle, his own, the one sewn into the back of his gloves. The circle for flame alchemy. The second thing that Roy saw was Riza, _his_ Riza, hugging Edward and crying._

_A number of emotions ran through Roy, thought the main one was rage, directly focused on one Edward Elric._

_Suddenly, Edward grabbed Riza's arm and began running towards the entrance that Mustang was hidden by. Still fuming, Roy stepped out of the shadows and faced down the short blond. "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Roy shouted, letting every bit of his rage leak into his voice. He walked up to the pair, glaring at Edward but occasionally shooting a glance at Riza. "Now why don't one of you tell me just what the hell happened here?!"_

_Flashback end_

Ed couldn't help but stumble over his words. He had seen Mustang pissed off before, TRULY pissed off and no the half-pissed version that Ed usually encountered when they argued. But this was the first time the full weight of Mustang's rage was directed fully at the short blond alchemist. And his eyes, strangely cold but at the same time burning hot, scared Ed more than he would ever willingly admit.

"W-Well, you see, I, well I mean…" Ed began, tripping over himself worse than when he had first began walking with his automail.

"It was a rather backfired alchemy attempt sir." Riza said calmly, stepping forward. She had experience keeping Roy calm, after all.

"I CAN FUCKING SEE THAT!" Roy shouted, startling both Riza and Ed. Roy _never_ swore at Riza. "So why don't one of you tell me why you're apparently attempting to replicate MY flame alchemy in a public park?!"

"Berthold's." Ed said, having regained his cool.

"Excuse me?!" Roy snarled at the young alchemist.

"Flame alchemy was invented and perfected by Berthold Hawkeye, and was _given_ to Roy Mustang." Edward said calmly. "So it's not _your_ alchemy."

"You told him?!" Roy shouted, turning to Riza. "So not only is the Fullmetal Pipsqueak-"

"I AM NOT SMALL GODDAMNIT!" Ed shouted immediately, automatically coming to defense of his small stature despite the seriousness of the situation.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Roy shouted at Ed in return, a look of absolute rage in his eyes as he raised his gloved hand threateningly. Only to be stopped by the unmistakable sound of a gun chambering a bullet. Roy froze and slowly turned to Riza, who had one of her guns out and pointed straight at Roy.

"I made you a promise a long time ago sir." Riza said, a slight tremble in her voice, though the tremble didn't extend to her hands, which had the gun pointed straight between Roy's eyebrows. "Please, don't make me go through with it."

In an instant, hot shame flooded Roy as he realized what he had been about to do. If Riza hadn't of been there, if it had just been Ed and Roy, Roy _would_ have tried to unleash a blast at Ed. It didn't matter if, just then, Roy was just trying to scare the young alchemist. That would have created an irreparable rift between them.

Roy slowly lowered his hand and waited until Riza lowered her gun before almost ripping the glove off of his hand and handing it to her. "Take this." He said in a tired voice. "I really don't want this anywhere near me right now."

Riza accepted the glove and put it in her pocket before fixing Roy with a pointed look. Roy briefly wondered what she was thinking before he remembered, _both_ of his gloves were of sparkcloth. He sheepishly peeled off his other glove and handed it over and only then did Riza holster her gun.

"Now then, if you think you can hold your temper, let's go to your office and we can discuss this like adults." Riza said, putting a hand on Ed's shoulder, gently restraining him from jumping the Brigadier General.

Roy numbly nodded his consent and Ed just grunted in irritation which Riza took as an affirmation before leading the way to Roy's office.

Once the trio made it into Roy's office, the Brigadier General collapsed into his chair and covered his face with his hand. "Now then, someone please explain this messed-up situation to me."

"Well you see ya bastard Brigadier General…" Ed began before stopping. "That doesn't sound nearly as good as 'bastard Colonel'." The blonde mused before catching both Roy and Riza's stern glares.

"Maybe _I_ should be the one to explain." Riza said. "It started from where I stormed off about a month ago. Ed followed me and we talked. I ended up telling him about my father and his flame alchemy and you have _no right_ to get angry at me for that." Riza shot Roy a light glare that still had him sweating.

"Anyways, after she did that she told me that she always kind of wanted to learn his flame alchemy to honor him." Ed said, taking over the narrative and earning a glare from Riza which he took stoically. "So I offered to teach her basic alchemy and then later help her decipher the remaining notes on her back so that she could learn flame alchemy."

"And would I be right to assume that this is where the massive pillar of fire comes in?" Roy sighs, rubbing his forehead. "I guess that you at least managed to duplicate the rudimentary technique in order to pull off that spectacle in the park?"

"Kinda." Ed said, smiling nervously. "I was trying to research the formulaes used to alter the gaseous properties used in the alchemy when Riza asked why we had to do it when we both knew the alchemical circle for it."

Roy groaned and covered his face with his hands. "Tell me she didn't actually ask that…"

Ed smirked at Riza. "She did indeed. That bit of alchemy in the park was my demonstration to her of what could possibly happen if she just tried using the circle without understanding the principles behind it."

"I think that you got that point across." Riza said primly. "The results of that little 'experiment' looked like a massive bomb had gone off. If it wasn't for that shelter you forced me in I would have fried like the rest of the park." Suddenly, Riza's eyes went wide along with Roy's as they both stare at the blonde alchemist.

"And just how _did_ you manage to survive that Fullmetal?" Roy asked, a coldness in his voice.

"It's related to some independent alchemical research that I intend to keep private, Sir." Ed said with a smirk. That smirk quickly faded when he heard the click of a gun behind him. "And by that, I mean that after the time that me and you fought I researched ice-based alchemy and finally found a formula that, when activated, would chill the air around me and protect me from the heat of flames."

Satisfied, Riza holstered her gun while Roy just stared at Ed. "You… You found a counter for my flame alchemy?" He asked, eyes wide and voice just above a shocked whisper.

"To an extent." Ed admitted. "It takes a lot of energy to maintain, and I can only handle up to certain temperatures. With my current modifications I can only handle up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit."

"Can only handle up to… Do you not see what a big deal this is Fullmetal?!" Roy screamed. "Just think! The major, MAJOR, reason that no one attempts to recreate flame alchemy is because of the flaming shitstorm that would rain down upon them if they did it wrong! If there was a way to handle the flames, this alchemy that you seem to have created for example, they wouldn't even need to master it! Insurgents could blow up any number of important military installments and just walk away to do it again!"

"That… That could be bad." Ed admitted. "Well, at the very least, I never wrote the completed formula in my notes and the only complete example of it is on my foot."

"That…" Roy began before taking a deep breath before all of the recent revelations caused him to blow up again. "Never mind. I expect a _full_ report on this later Fullmetal."

Roy then turned towards Riza. "Riza, I understand that you want to honor your father and I apologize, both for claiming that the alchemy was my own and for blowing up when I discovered that you were attempting to learn it. As is pretty obvious, I already know the alchemy and all of its subtleties. Do you want me to teach you?"

Riza considered this. Roy was right, he already knew the alchemy. He had seen the notes in their entirety and had mastered the alchemy and all it entailed. But still… "I would have to refuse Sir." Riza said. "Edward is my teacher. For better, or for worse." At that, Mustang smiled while Edward looked happy that Riza had decided to remain under his tutelage.

"Dismissed Fullmetal. Riza, please stay behind for a second." Roy said, getting a half-hearted wave from Ed who cast a worried glance at Riza.

Riza shooed Edward away before looking back at Roy. "You wanted to say something, sir?"

"I just wanted to say… That I'm sorry about what happened." Roy said, hanging his head in shame. "I… Never should have given you cause to act on our old promise. I won't ask for your forgiveness, I doubt that you'll give it, but I hope to earn it back one day."

Riza put her hand on Roy's shoulder. "You're right in that I won't forgive you quite yet. But give it some time. You're a good man Roy, sometimes you just need to be reminded of that." Riza then left the office, leaving Roy behind with his thoughts.

**Resolution! I'm a bit worries that the emotions are a bit rushed in this chapter. But meh. For those who are confused about the 'promise' that Riza and Roy made, Roy once made Riza promise that if he ever began to abuse his power that she would kill him. Please review, and I'm still disappointed by the lack of flamers. Meh, comment however you like. And speaking of reviews, here are some review replies.**

** No Name Anime Fan: No, this is not Roy/Riza. Well, unless you count their friendship. While I personally have no problem with them having a romantic relationship, I personally believe that there relationship is strictly platonic.**

** darkpaladin89: The pillar was contained by the circle, so it would have been about 5 Ft. wide.**

** Guest: I'm glad that you all are actually looking at and liking the reccommendations I post. They're great writers and I like giving them some credit.**

**And speaking of my shoutouts, this chapter goes out to microzombie! He writes a mixture of Naruto and FMA stories, all of which are good. But personally, I recommend Edward Hawkeye.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own FMA, but that's probably for the best. If I owned it, I wouldn't be able to write fanfiction about it.**

**WARNING: This chapter contains mention of rape.**

Edward sighed as he walked down the street and recalled the recent events that had taken place in Roy Mustang's office. He was honestly worried about Riza. He knew that she was thirty two, and could therefore take care of herself, but he couldn't help but worry. Ever since they had met, Riza and Ed had had a rather complex relationship. A kind of mix between mother/son and brother/sister.

Ed continued to wander about, lost in his thoughts, when he accidently bumped into someone, causing the groceries that they were carrying to spill onto the pavement. "Oh man! I'm so sorry!" Ed said, instantly dropping down and gathering up the groceries before standing up to hand them back to the woman. "Here you go miss- Rose?!"

Ed could only stare in shock as he recognized the woman in front of him. It had been awhile, years in fact, but the young woman still looked remarkably the same. She still had the same heavily tanned skin and she still dyed her bangs a light brown that contrasted against her dark hair. She wore a simple yellow dress and was smiling as she took the groceries from the still-frozen Edward's hands. "Hello to you too Edward. I see that you haven't been praying enough, you're still so short!"

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A PIPSQUEAK SO SMALL THAT HE'D DROWN IN A DROP OF WATER?!" Ed shouted out, the comment about his height instantly snapping him out of his shock.

"And I guess that your attitude is still the same also." Rose said with amusement in her voice.

"I… You… Buh… What are you doing here?!" Ed asked after spluttering a bit in shock.

"Well, that's a bit of a story." Rose said. "Tell you what, how about we meet up for a late dinner and we can catch up?"

"Uh… Sure." Ed said dumbly, Rose's very appearance throwing him off, much less the whole conversation.

"Great! I'll see you at the café on 9th street at 7!" Rose said, turning around and walking away while giving Ed a small part wave.

"Yeah… Sure…" Ed said, staring after Rose's retreating figure. It took a minute, but suddenly the implications of the conversation hit him. "Did I just agree to go on a date?!"

Almost an hour later and a healthy dose of convincing himself that this was not, in fact, a date, Ed found himself fidgeting nervously at a small table while Rose grinned in amusement.

"Not used to talking with a pretty girl?" Rose teased.

"Yes! I mean no! I mean-" Edward suddenly stopped before turning a suspicious eye on Rose. "You're just messing with me, aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged!" Rose said, chuckling a bit before turning her attention to the server who had arrived with their food.

The two stayed silent for a few minutes as their food was laid out on the table, a simple dish of lamb with potatoes and greens for Rose, and damn near everything on the menu for Ed. One of the things that hadn't changed about Edward Elric over the years is that he could still eat far more than his small frame should have been able to hold.

"So, Rose." Ed began, already starting in on the food. "How've you been? I'm guessing that life's been treating you good since you seem a lot more… Chipper than before." It was true, throughout their interactions Rose had kept a smile on her face and was acting a lot like she had been when Ed had first met her, when she had been led on by the false priest.

That actually brought a spark of thought to Ed's mind. Maybe Rose was being led on again? If she had fallen for a third-rate alchemist's tricks before… But before Ed could voice these suspicions, as tactfully as possible of course, Rose bashed him on the head with her fist.

"No talking while you're eating!" Rose commanded.

"Ow! What the fuck?!" Ed groaned, clutching his head and feeling a small bump from where Rose had hit him.

"It's basic table manners." Rose said, clearly miffed.

"I… What? Just… Fine." Ed sighed in defeat. Now Rose was acting like Winry. And that actually managed to cow Ed into hurriedly eating all of his food, though slowing down a bit when Rose glared at him from across the table, before repeating his question.

"Well, a lot's happened since we met." Rose said, her eyes becoming distant as she recalled her past. "Not long after you left, another Father Cornello came, claiming that the one you brought down was a false priest who was taking advantage of his absence. He even brought a bunch of birds back to life to prove that he was who he said he was. And for a moment… I believed again. I thought that maybe that other Cornello truly was a fake and I could go back to how I was. But then I watched the birds. No one else was paying attention to them after they flew off, so only I noticed how they suddenly fell out of the sky."

"Temporary animation. Or more likely some kind of puppet-based alchemy." Ed said, his mind going through the equations and formulas needed for that kind of transmutation.

"Is that even possible?" Rose asked. "I mean, I saw it myself but considering what you were searching for…"

"No, I can understand the confusion." Ed said, interrupting Rose's talking and then ignoring her glare as he got into his 'lecture mode'. "Puppet alchemy is very possible. But also really tricky. The 'puppeteer', so to speak, has to imbue the object that they're working with with a portion of their soul. This way, the puppet can move around and in some cases even speak. Ever since we got Al's body back he's been specializing in soul-based alchemy so he'd be the better person to ask. Though I personally think it's possible to make a 'permanent' puppet using the same method that I used to bond Al's soul to that old suit of armor."

Rose just stared at Ed, a dazed look on her face as almost everything Ed said flew right over her head. Again, almost everything. "So you got your brother's body back? That's great!" Rose exclaimed, genuine happiness in her voice. "What about you? Can you walk on both feet again?"

"No." Ed sighed, looking down. "Alchemy is still about equivalent exchange. I had to sacrifice something to get Al's body back, but it wasn't enough of a sacrifice to get my limbs back."

"Oh…" Rose said quietly. She decided then that pressing the matter would only serve to darken the mood further.

"Well, how about you continue on Rose?" Ed asked, looking up at the tanned brunette again. "We got a bit sidetracked."

"And it was all _your_ fault, not mine." Rose said. "But… Shortly after the 'real' Cornello came, he started to coerce the townspeople into rebellion. I tried arguing that this was exactly what the other Cornello had wanted to do, but everyone just ignored me. Then the fighting started… And…"

Rose paused, tears in her eyes.

"A-Are you ok Rose?" Ed asked, worried. "Y-You don't have to continue. I don't need to know."

"…No. I think I have to finish." Rose said dully. "The fighting started and all hell broke loose. Rebels and soldiers were killing and dying everywhere. I tried to help by looking after the orphaned children, but then some soldiers broke into the house where we were holed up, accusing us of being 'rebel sympathisers'. They… They were going to kill the children when I offered them a trade."

"What trade?" Ed asked quietly, though he was fairly certain he knew what it was.

"What else?" Rose asked, chuckling bitterly. "I offered them my body for a night to overlook us. They… I-I can't repeat what they did to me that night. But they kept their word and left us alone. The next day I gathered up some supplies and volunteers and took the children out of Liore."

"Were you successful?" Ed asked quietly, shocked by the actions of the military that he served to one of his friends. Ed had known about the fighting, but he didn't know about the other details. Clearly, Roy had even then been trying to protect just a bit of Ed's innocence. This revelation didn't put the flame alchemist back on Ed's good side, but it was definitely a few points in his favor.

"Yeah, we managed to escape using a series of old tunnels that led into the desert." Rose replied, eyes beginning to liven up again as she finished passing through the worst part of her story. "Nothing… Came of the night with the soldiers, something that I had been thanking god for every day. It would be horrible to have that kind of a reminder."

Rose was silent for another minute before taking a deep breath and finishing her story. "After I left Liore, I helped out in a small orphanage. They closed down about a year ago though so I moved here. It was a… Difficult decision. But I knew that not everyone in the military was bad." Here, Rose paused to flash a brief smile at Edward. "I started up another orphanage here. I guess that I just really love taking care of children, they just make me smile. I was getting a few things for dinner when I ran into you."

"That… Was some story Rose." Ed said, not quite knowing what to say. To avoid a more awkward talk, Ed asked something that was on his mind when Rose mentioned that _she_ ran the orphanage. "So who's watching the kids if you're here?"

"The older kids are watching the younger." Rose replied. "I think that the oldest child is about thirteen. But he's responsible enough to watch the others."

"Heh. Whoever said that you're still a child at thirteen was a liar." Ed chuckled, remembering his own experiences. Ed then checked his pocket watch, no longer a painful reminder of his task and now just a simple timepiece. "It's getting late. Shall I escort you home ma'am?" This Ed said with an exaggerated bow as he stood up.

"If you wouldn't mind." Rose said, honestly a bit grateful for Ed's offer to escort her. She had learned how to defend herself over the years, but Central was still a pretty scary place at night and Rose actually felt very safe with Edward.

The pair left the table and Ed (after a bit of arguing with Rose) paid the bill and the two left. Rose escorted Ed through the maze of Central's streets until they came across a rather old-looking building. It had two floors, and looked like it was in desperate need of maintenance and a paint job.

Rose must have noticed the look on Ed's face because she rubbed the back of her neck self-consciously. "It's a fixer-upper no doubt. It used to be worse, but me and the children have been working hard on restoring it."

"How many children are there?" Ed asked absently, still staring at the house.

"…Nine." Rose admitted. "And two of them are too young to walk."

"This is no place for them then." Ed said bluntly.

Rose flinched, she knew that. But it was all she was able to afford from her meager savings.

"I'll come by again tomorrow and see what I can do." Ed continued, surprising Rose greatly. "At the very least, I can use alchemy to make sure that the roof doesn't leak too badly. And if there's any gaps in the wood I can fix those the same way. But I don't think alchemy would be very good beyond that, so if there's anything you need fixed make a list of it tonight and give it to me tomorrow when I swing by."

"E-Ed, you don't have to do this! I mean-" Rose never got to explain what she meant as Ed turned to face her, an intense expression on his face.

"No, I don't have to do this." Ed said sharply, before his eyes softened and he put his hand on Rose's shoulder. "But I want to. I remember what it was like to be an orphan. And believe it or not, I had it good as far as being an orphan went. Before I left I was with people who genuinely loved and cared for me and even during my travels that bastard Mustang always kept an eye on me. I saw a lot of suffering in my travels Rose, and if a couple of afternoon's worth of work makes those kids' lives easier, than I'm willing to put in that work." Ed's expression then turned mischievous. "Besides, I can't resist helping a damsel in distress."

Rose laughed and punched Edward in the arm before engulfing him in a hug. "Thanks Ed." Rose whispered into his ear. She then pulled apart and made to enter the house before turning back around. "One more thing." Rose leaned forward and gave Edward a quick peck on the lips. "Thanks for dinner!" Rose laughed as she dashed into the dilapidated house, leaving a confused and red-faced Ed on the doorstep wondering what the hell just happened.

**Hello my loyal, or at the very least bored, fans! Have an update! To my knowledge, this is the first chapter to focus exclusively on Ed. I suppose I'll have to balance that out with having the next focus on Riza. Anyways, Ed and Rose meet and have dinner. Before anyone asks, YES this IS the foundation for an Ed/Rose pairing. Now on to Rose herself, I combined the look from the two animes for her. The darker skin from the first anime with the darker bangs from the second. In the 2003 anime Rose was raped by Amestris soldiers and had a child. I considered that to be a cruel thing to do to Rose so I made it so that she didn't conceive. I went a bit AU in that in the manga Rose was still in Liore during the Promised Day and I had her leave before that. I would like to take a brief moment to thank my good friend InfiniteDragon for the idea on how to introduce Rose into the story. The orphanage was his idea. As always, please leave a review and flamers will be dealt with gleefully. No review responses this time around, so I'll just jump straight to the shoutout! This shoutout goes out to RainFlame! He writes a variety of stories but focuses on FMA. In particular, check out his story Stairway to Paradise! It's a really touching and sad story about how Roy has to take care of Ed after a mission goes wrong and Ed is blinded. The only downside is it's still being written. Until next time then!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Only one man owns Fullmetal Alchemist. But that man is not me.**

Several weeks had passed since Ed met Rose in Central. As promised, Ed had gone back to the orphanage that Rose ran and began making basic repairs. It was a slow process, further inspection on the building had revealed a startling number of building code violations, a fair number of them of which couldn't be fixed with a simple clap and flash of alchemy. Of course, Ed's military duties also kept him busy. Not to mention Riza's ongoing training.

Which brought Ed to where he was now. The previous weeks had shown significant improvement in Riza's alchemy, bolstering her 'reserves' so that she could perform even more complex and energy-draining alchemy. Now, the two were back on the parade ground. After the park incident, which Grumman and Roy together managed to sweep under the rug, the Fuhrer allowed the prodigal duo unlimited access to the large, and more importantly empty, parade ground for the purpose of controlling the unpredictable flame alchemy.

Well, controlling wasn't exactly the right term. The thing was, they had actually managed to reverse-engineer Roy Mustang's (or rather Berthold Hawkeye's) infamous flame alchemy. Of course, Riza also managed to make a pair of Roy's sparkcloth gloves. Even Ed, who confessed to having little interest in the alchemy, had found a way to utilize the alchemy. Taking advantage of his military-sponsored custom automail budget, Ed replaced his metal thumb with a crafted piece of flint, and had designed a removable metal plate that attached to the back of his automail hand with the flame circle engraved on it. This even had the additional benefit of letting Edward use flame alchemy in the rain, something that had Mustang sulking for a week.

So what were they doing on the parade ground if not for the purpose of learning flame alchemy?

_Flashback_

"_I think we've finally done it." Ed said, snapping his fingers and sending out a medium-sized fireball. "We've got the formula down, though that part was quite frankly the easiest. And our control is impeccable. So, how do you feel Riza? Do you think you've managed to properly honor your dad?"_

_Riza was silent as she watched the dissipating fireball. "…I don't know." She confessed."It was my goal to perfect his alchemy. To prove that I was worthy of his legacy. We've managed to reverse-engineer the alchemy, and we can perform it almost as well as Roy can. But somehow this victory seems a little… Hollow."_

_Ed walked up to Riza and put a comforting arm around her waist, his diminutive height keeping him from wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Well, screw that bastard!" Ed said with a smile on his face. Disrespecting the Brigadier General always brought a smile to his face. "The only reason he's able to use it better is because of how much experience he has with it. I mean, he's got years on you practice-wise!"_

"_That's not quite what I meant Ed." Riza said, a small smile of her own appearing as her brother-figure tried comforting her. "In fact, I'm not sure how to describe it. I feel like I made my father proud by learning his alchemy. But at the same time, I somehow feel like he's disappointed in me."_

_Ed thought for a moment. He was unsure about how a fathers thought process would work, his only true interaction with his own father being a variety of insults and a major battle. Well, that and…_

"_My father left a note, before he died that is." Ed finally said. "It had a counter for every insult I ever threw at him. Pissed me right the fuck off. Vindictive old bastard. After that though, it had an actual message. It told me that he was proud of me, that I had managed to surpass him. That I managed to do more than he ever could." Ed looked at the metal plate fitted to the back of his hand. "Maybe… Maybe that's it. My father was proud of me because I managed to surpass him. Maybe, for you to properly honor your father's memory, you have to not only learn the alchemy that he left behind, but also improve it."_

"_Improve it?" Riza muttered in shock. The sniper turned to look at Ed. "Edward, it took my father _years_, and eventually his life, to perfect flame alchemy."_

"_So?" Ed asked challengingly. "In science, there is no such thing as perfect. And alchemy is just that, a science. There can always be improvement. Your father died because he neglected his body in favor of his research. He didn't have nearly enough time to try improving it further. He only had enough time to properly encrypt his notes on your back."_

_Riza thought about it before turning to Ed. "Maybe…" Riza suddenly smiled. "Maybe we can figure out a way to up the input of energy for a longer dispersal range. Maybe even find a way to make it a long-distance alchemy."_

_Ed's smile mirrored her own. During the course of Riza's training, he had awakened a scientific curiosity and great thirst for knowledge in the blonde sniper. In short, he had created a monster._

"_Yeah, let's do it!"_

_Flashback End_

"What do you think of this configuration Edward?" Riza asked, showing Ed a modified flame transmutation circle on a piece of paper.

Ed took the paper and looked over it in thought. "You doubled up on the energy compression and lessened the air input. Explosion based? No… At least not entirely. It's more… Focused, for lack of a better word. This cluster of runes here… They're boosters. So more energy, less air, and a power converter? This… You're trying to make a lightning bolt!"

Riza smiled and nodded at Ed. She was amazed at how he had instantly deciphered the circle, one that she had purposely kept hidden from him so as to see his reaction to it. The blonde sniper could only shake her head in amazement at Ed's instant comprehension. Truly, he was a prodigy.

"Lightning alchemy." Riza said, a glint in her eyes. "Alphonse once told me of how he ran into a man who was using it on a small band of Ishvalan refugees. One of the few men to be killed by Scar who wasn't a state alchemist. The morbid details aside, I found the concept fascinating. The man had to wear a bulky apparatus to use it, but I had an idea."

"Does this idea of yours have anything to do with this outer alkahestry circle?" Ed asked dryly, a smile on his face as he saw Riza getting caught up in the frenzy that affected so many alchemists.

"Precisely! This allows the energy to flow better as well as letting us activate the circle remotely for the purpose of testing and… And… Since when do you know anything about alkahestry?" Riza asked, confused as she knew that while Ed was a genius with Amestris's alchemy, Xing's alkahestry was difficult for the young blond.

"Al's a genius with the stuff." Edward replied casually. "Kind of reversed really. I'm talented as hell with alchemy but I only really know the basics of alkahestry. Al's a genius with alkahestry, but he can only do the basics with alchemy. Of course, he's taught me as much alkahestry as he could while I also still send him books on the more modern alchemy practices."

Riza nodded. "Makes sense." She said, taking the paper back from Ed. "So, do you think it's good enough to practice with?"

Ed thought for a moment. "I suppose it's good enough for testing purposes. But I think that after we test the theory, we should place an overhaul on the circle. As it is, it's kind of patchy. And I don't think you'd want to trust a patchy circle in any situation."

Riza nodded and they went to work. Using a metal rod that Edward had transmuted, the air carefully sketched the circle into the packed earth. After an hour of hard labor, in which Riza and Ed had to re-draw the circle three times so as to make sure there were no imperfections, they were ready to test Riza's prototype circle.

"Ready Edward?" Riza asked, crouched behind the barrier that Ed had transmutated for them, her hand hovering over the activation circle.

"You mean ready to test an unstable alchemy made from the bastardized remains of alkahestry and flame alchemy? Of course." Ed replied, a cocky smile on his face.

Riza pushed energy into the circle. And then she screamed.

What some people didn't understand about alchemy was that it was a lot more of a more-or-nothing art than people realized. If you had the energy, you got a reaction. If not, then the energy was wasted and the alchemist usually fell into a coma of sorts. Of course, something would still happen. You can't expend the energy and get nothing. If you were trying to raise a wall of earth, you would still get a small mound for your trouble. If you were trying to freeze a lake, you would still get a patch of ice. But alchemy based off of energy was much different. If you tried to transmute a fireball but didn't have enough energy, the transmutation would rip at your life force to complete itself. And what is lightning but the mother of fire?

Riza screamed in pain as she felt the energy being ripped from her. But it wasn't enough. She could feel the tendrils of force searching deeper, looking to rip her soul from her body for her foolishness. But suddenly, the draining sensation stopped. Riza looked up to see Edward with his hands on the circle and a look of determination on his face, inserting his own energy. His energy depths were much larger than Riza's own, and while she had been drained Ed managed to complete the energy transfer. And the energy was twisted and condensed until…

_KSHHHOOOOOOOM!_

With a mighty roar and a flash of light, a bolt of lightning shot from the circle, shooting up into the sky. Ed and Riza watched as the blinding flash faded and the echoes of thunder stopped. Ed looked over the barrier and saw a massive crater where the transmutation circle had once been, the ground partially melted from the intense heat. Ed then turned to Riza.

"Next time, don't use a modified circle." Ed panted. "The energy absorption is enormous."

Riza could only nod before the world turned black and she passed out.

It took three days for Riza to recover in the hospital that she had been checked into for her severe energy depletion.

Ed visited her every day. He himself had not been hospitalized, his energy reserves were much larger than Riza's and the energy she had poured into the circle had already fueled a good portion of the transmutation. He had the good graces to wait until the second day before ripping into her.

"…I mean honestly, how could you NOT check the energy consumption?! I KNOW that I had taught you better than to ignore the energy costs! You're just lucky that I was able to insert my own energy!" Ed rambled, pacing back and forth in the small room.

"I showed you the circle, you managed to disassemble it in seconds!" Riza snapped back, irritated by the way in which Ed was treating her like she was the child. She was a full decade older than him!

"I gave it a passing glance!" Ed snapped back. "I had trusted you enough to compensate for everything needed!"

"I made a mistake Edward! Despite any and all claims to the contrary, I AM human!" Riza said, fighting to keep her voice calm. "You of all people should know that mistakes can be made! So why are you ripping into _me_, of all people, for things that you yourself have done multiple times in the past!"

Ed flinched at the reminder of his past stupidities. He sighed and gave Riza a level look. "I had promised Grumman when we began all of this that I wouldn't let your newfound desire to learn alchemy consume you. To him… That's what this incident was. I've already got an official order from him to cease teaching or otherwise enabling you."

"But… That…" For once, Riza was stunned and was at a complete loss for words. A burst of anger surged through her. "He can't do this! He stayed out of my life until I was already a woman grown, he has no say in my life now!"

"…I tried saying the same thing to him." Ed confessed. "Well, the second bit. I had assumed you knew who he was growing up and that was why you joined the military. But that's beside the point. Considering how dangerous it is, Fuhrer Grumman has arranged for an official tribunal. He's attempting to place a restraining order on me, to ensure that I can't go near you ever again."

**Dramatic tension! Now, I know what you all are thinking. 'Grumman would never be that cold to Ed and Riza!'. Well, yes. He would. He earned his rank, and not by being sentimental. As a career soldier, there's not a doubt in my mind that he's made a lot of hard decisions. This one would probably be less hard for him. He saw Riza's father go mad because of alchemy, and he knows the truth as to why Ed has a metal arm and leg. In his mind, he's protecting his daughter, who might had inherited her father's madness for alchemy, by removing Ed, who is well-known for pushing the limits. Also, if you look carefully, you'll find another reference to the 2003 anime. And to those few noting the lack of Rose in this chapter, I'm giving her a good role in the next chapter so hold off on the flames for a bit. Anyways, I apologize for making ya'll wait so long. My laptop, faithful companion for four years, died on me. It took a week to get the data off of it and then finish the story, not to mention finding the old and slow as hell XP laptop I am now forced to use. Hopefully I can afford a new laptop come tax return time. Double hopefully it'll be Windows 7. I hate 8. And now, review responses!**

**Fire From Above: I've always imagined Rose to be a rather gullible, but strong-willed woman.**

**Quinn1989: Ed is indeed a clueless Casanova. It comes from having a proper upbringing and a deep-seated respect (fear) of women. And also, Al being great with alkahestry will play a big part in his soul-based alchemy. It'll be awhile though.**

**ZakuroU: I'm almost done with the 'training arc'. One or two more chapters and things will get more exciting.**

**Guest: It does indeed seem like I'm purposely diffusing any possibilities of an Ed/Riza relationship. But in all honesty, it wasn't intentional. After I initially decided against Ed/Riza, I wanted it to be Ed/Rose. And in order for me to allow Rose to ask Ed to dinner, I wanted her to catch Ed alone. And the best opportunity to write this in came after Roy asked Ed to leave his office. It's all coincidence I'm afraid.**

**And finally, this chapter's shoutout goes to JMLMonkey! He's written a few FMA fics, the one premier among them being Waltzing into Hell! Until next time then, enjoy!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I own this fanfic, but not Fullmetal Alchemist.**

It had been three weeks since Ed had told Riza about the restraining order placed between the two of them. Due to a confusing number of loopholes, Ed had been allowed to visit Riza just the once to deliver the news. After that, he had been banned from going within 50 yards of the blonde sniper.

Immediately after the news had been spread, Riza and Edward both immediately filed against it. Because of the sheer number of circumstances surrounding the order, the fact that the Fuehrer had issued it but that neither of the two people involved condoned it, an official court session had been called to resolve the situation. The fact that Riza and Ed were banned from being anywhere near each other made making a case difficult, but not impossible. Mustang and his crew volunteered to dig up old court records to look for precedents to help them, while Rose volunteered to act as a go-between for the pair.

Finally, the day of court came. Edward showed up over an hour early to the hearing, where he met up with everyone. Mustang's crew was unable to make it, them needing to keep the operations of the office running smoothly. But everyone had volunteered to take over the Brigadier General's work so that he could make it. Rose had made it as well, dressed in plain clothes and surrounded by a group of children as she hadn't been able to find anyone to watch the orphanage. And as for Ed and Riza, it was the first time that they had seen each other in three weeks. After a polite greeting, Ed gave into a small burst of emotion and embraced the woman he loved like a sister.

Everyone's reactions to that was different. Riza smiled down fondly at Edward and returned the embrace. Roy smirked at the pair, it actually made him happy to see the pair so happy after the sadness he had seen over the past three weeks. Rose felt a small twinge of emotion, though she couldn't quite identify what it was.

"Well well, this certainly a touching scene. But as I recall, there's still a restraining order between the two of you." Said a voice behind everyone.

Almost as one, everyone turned to see the owner of the voice. Coming through the door, a bit stooped over due to age and the responsibilities heaped on his shoulders, was Fuehrer Grumman.

"If you will excuse me for saying so sir, the restraining order was temporarily revoked for the purposes of this trial." Mustang said, coming to his subordinates defense.

"Hmph. 'Temporarily' being the key word." Grumman rebuked, walking up to the court doors.

After the brief exchange of words, the group stood in silence, awaiting the arrival of the military tribunal. After awhile, a mixed group of men and women walked up to the courthouse and unlocked the doors and everyone filed in. Rose and the children took their seats in the civilian stands, as well as the assistants and general personnel of the court judges. The judges, of which there were eight, sat in a semi-circle around a raised dais. And it was at that dais that Fuehrer Grumman sat.

"I hereby call this session of the Amestrian court to order." Grumman said, picking up the gavel and banging it down on the dais. "This court is assembled to address the restraining order issue by me, the Fuhrer, regarding the two Plaintiffs, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Elric and Major Riza Hawkeye. Due to the personal issue of the matter at hand, I am remanding myself as the Judge of this court and all judgment will be passed by an acting Judge."

Grumman stepped off of the dais and moved to the Defendant's seat. As he did so, there was a murmur of conversation between the seated jury. Finally, two members stood up. "Let the record show that in place of Fuhrer Grumman I, General Franklin Stinz, will be acting Judge." Said the first man. "Also let the record show that since this is a majority hearing I, Brigadier General Mattel Erinn, will be stepping down from this jury." Said the second man, walking to the civilian stands and taking a seat.

Everyone waited for a brief minute while the court scribe transcripted the words. At a nod from the scribe, General Stinz looked at Riza and Edward. "Do the Plaintiffs have any opening statements?"

Riza nodded and stood up. "The restraining order between me and Lieutenant Colonel Elric is one that neither me and him wanted. It was put into place by the Fuhrer who seemed to think that further contact between the two of us would be dangerous. Me and my colleague here are here to prove that this is not only untrue, but that our continue partnership would be a benefit to the Amestris military." Riza shot a glare a Grumman before sitting down.

General Stinz nodded before turning to Grumman. "And any opening statement from the Defendant?"

Grumman nodded and stood up. "While it is true that in the beginning I had allowed the two to work together, reports have been shown to me that the Plaintiffs alchemy experimentation is exceedingly dangerous and poses a threat not just to them, but also to the Amestris military." Grumman sat back down, ignoring the dirty looks being cast at him by Riza, Ed, Mustang, and even Rose.

General Stinz nodded. "Now that opening statements are out of the way, let's move on to actual evidence. Lieutenant Colonel Elric, Major Hawkeye, you have the floor."

"Thank you." Edward said, standing up. Mustang had, thankfully, coached Edward in courtroom procedure during the weeks leading up to the trial. "Members of the jury, me and Major Hawkeye, for the past few months, have been researching and replicating the flame alchemy mastered by Brigadier General Mustang. The claims of danger that Fuhrer Grumman brings against us comes from several experiments where the reactions had gone awry. But such is always the risk when it comes to alchemy. While there _was_ danger, it was in controlled conditions where the risk was only aimed towards us, the ones who knew the risks of the experiments and accepted them."

"Objection!" Grumman shouted, standing up. "I have it on paper, with eyewitness accounts from people in this very courtroom, that at least one of these 'experiments' was done in a public place where danger could have befallen civilians!"

"Objection sustained." General Stinz said calmy, motioning for Grumman to sit down before turning to Edward and Riza. "And your response?"

Once again, Edward was the one who stood up. "General Stinz, while it it true that our first experiment was in a public park, there are several factors to consider. The first of which being that at the time, we had Fuhrer Grumman's permission to go forward with our attempts at recreating flame alchemy. Other factors are that I scouted out the park before the experiment, ensuring that no one was there besides us. I had also set up several defenses so that the reaction wouldn't be able to escape the clearing, even if the experiment went awry."

At this, Mustang stood up as well. "As the first officer on the scene after the incident, I can confirm that there were stables defenses in place that were later taken down so that repairs could be made to the park. I would also like to say that all charges of dangerous experimentation and damage to public property were, at the time, swept under the rug by Fuhrer Grumman." With a smirk, Roy sat down as mutterings went through the courtroom.

"Order in the court!" General Stinz said, banging his gavel until silence reigned once more. "Now then, I have a question of my own. You both work under Brigadier General Mustang, yes?" General Stinz waited until Riza and Ed nodded before continuing. "As he is the one who created flame alchemy in the first place, why did you not seek out his advice during your attempts at replicating it or even requesting a formal apprenticeship?"

Ed and Riza shared a glance with each other at that, and behind them Roy stiffened before sighing. They had known that something like this would come up. Even though Riza and Ed couldn't see it, Roy nodded his consent even as Riza stood up. "The fact of the matter, General Stinz, is that Roy Mustang is _not_ the creator of flame alchemy."

At this, even louder murmurs and a few shouts echoed through the court, causing General Stinz to bang his gavel once again. "Order in the court! I said Order in the court!" Finally, the murmurs died down and General Stinz was able to address Riza. "Would you care to explain this revelation Major Hawkeye?"

"Certainly your honor." Riza said, casting one last glance at Roy before speaking. In some grim part of Riza's mind, she thought that this was rather funny. It was this subject that started the chain of events leading up to the present moment. "The truth is, flame alchemy was discovered and perfected by Berthold Hawkeye. My father."

Another round of murmurs ran through the courtroom, until they were finally silenced by General Stinz's gavel. "Please continue Major Hawkeye."

Riza nodded her head at the General. "Thank you your honor. Anyways, my father was not a state alchemist. He spent years researching and perfecting flame alchemy. Roy Mustang, at the time, was his apprentice and taught him the basics of alchemy. Not long after Brigadier General Mustang graduated from the military academy, my father passed away. But before he did so, he passed on to Roy the key to flame alchemy."

"I see… So did he refuse to pass on the secrets that he was… Gifted?" General Stinz asked Riza, narrowing his eyes at Roy as he did so.

"Sir, as per Major Hawkeye's own request, I destroyed the notes after I deciphered them." Roy said, standing up.

"Objection!" Grumman called out, standing up. "Your honor, we have deviated _far_ off topic! I have not even gotten my own chance to speak yet!"

"Hrm… Yes…" General Stinz said, looking uncomfortable. "Objection sustained. Plaintiffs, any closing statements?"

Riza and Ed looked at each other before they both stood up. "Your honor." Riza began. "This restraining order between me and Edward is against both of our wills. Together, me and the Lieutenant Colonel make a great team. Maybe even better than when I was paired with the Brigadier General. Please lift the restraining order, thank you." Riza sat down.

"I only have one thing to say your honor." Edward said, looking General Stinz in the eye. "It was not by myself that we managed to survive the Promised Day. It was me, Alphonse, Mustang, Riza, Jean, Breda, Fuery, Izumi Curtis, the Armstrongs, and multiple other people. Hell, even Scar and Kimbley helped. Even Fuhrer Grumman played a role, a significant one at that." Here, Edward cast a look at Grumman. "Back then, we were gambling with the souls of all Amestris. This time, we were only putting ourselves in danger. Please, let us stay together."

The court was silent, everyone stood in stunned silence. This was the first time that Edward brought up the Promised Day as anything but a reminiscence of the past. This was the first time that he was using the subject as an offensive weapon. Even Grumman was shocked by this turn of events.

"_Did… I fall just as King Bradley did?"_ Grumman thought. _"I sought only to protect my granddaughter, but in the process I've been bending and twisting the rules."_ Grumman glanced at the pair at the table, his dark eyes meeting Ed's molten gold ones and Riza's burning amber eyes. _"…He's right. The fucking brat is right. Both him and Riza have been through much more dangerous situations. And Riza… She's a grown woman. And I sacrificed my right to have any say in her decisions a long time ago."_

"Your honor…" Grumman said, standing up. "…I hereby request that the restraining order be dropped."

At this request, almost everyone in the courtroom could only stare at the aged Fuhrer.

"…Excuse me?" General Stinz asked, surprise clear in his voice.

"Or rather, I offer a compromise." Grumman said, looking at Ed and Riza. "Recently, the Drakmans have been pushing at our borders. Scouting parties mostly, but I fear that it will become something more soon. You have both stated that you make an exceptional team. And with Major Hawkeye's skills in stealth and Lieutenant Colonel Elric's skills for… Localized and large-scale destruction, I have the following proposal." Grumman took a deep breath and addressed Riza and Edward directly. "I will drop the restraining order, in exchange for the two of you being pressed into immediate service."

Ed and Riza shared a look. They had never expected this kind of a deal from Grumman. They were fairly certain that if they refused the deal, they could still beat the restraining order. But there was always the chance that they'd fail. But on the other hand… Accepting the deal meant that they would be pressed into active service. Riza still had nightmares about Ishval, and even though Edward had seen hell multiple times, it had always been as a bystander. Not an active participant.

"C-Can we take a brief recess to discuss this?" Surprisingly, it was Edward who asked this, his voice cracking a little but still holding steady.

"Yes. I grant a one hour recess." General Stinz said, punctuating the statement with a bang of the gavel.

"What will the two of you do?" Asked Roy Mustang.

Ed, Riza, Roy, and Rose were all gathered in a small room in the courthouse. Ed and Riza both looked nervous, Rose looked worried, and Roy looked downright pissed.

"They can't accept the deal!" Rose cried out. "The Fuhrer has no right to do this!"

"He's the Fuhrer. He can do whatever the hell he wants." Roy grumbled, still clearly unhappy.

"But why would he suddenly propose a deal like that after going through all the trouble of setting up a court case?" Ed asked, his curiosity peaked by the Fuhrer's unknown actions.

"Maybe it was so that a tired old fool could save some face." Said an eldery voice from the doorway.

As one, the group turned towards the voice and saw the slightly hunched shape of the Fuhrer as he walked into the room.

"What in the hell are YOU doing here?! …Sir." Ed asked angrily, tacking in the 'Sir' at the last moment to avoid being tagged as insubordinate.

"Go away you old meanie!" One of children accompanying Rose shouted out at Grumman. Rose immediately pulled the child close to her, attempting to quiet the rambunctious child.

"I-I apologize Fuhrer." Rose said immediately, letting out a nervous laugh. "He's just a child and my lessons on how to properly address people haven't quite… Stuck yet."

"No need to apologize ma'am." Grumman said, holding out his hand to silence any further words from Rose. "Right now, I am not here as the Fuhrer. Please, treat me as you would any other person."

Wordlessly, Riza got up and walked over to Grumman before slapping him across the face and calmly sitting back down. As everyone stared at her incredulously, Riza shrugged. "What? He told us to treat him as we would any other person. That's the least of what I would do if anyone else tried pulling the kind of crap that he has. He's quite lucky that Roy convinced me not to bring my guns with me."

At this, everyone's heads but Ed's turned as one to look at Riza with shock on their faces. Riza Hawkeye? …UNARMED?

"Before we get too far off track, I'M holding the guns for her." Ed said, getting everyone's attention. "Now, what is it Grumman?"

"Hmph. Insolent child." Grumman said, sitting down on a nearby chair. "Well, to cut an old fool's rambling short, your words in the courtroom made some sense to me. During the Promised Day, we were all in great danger. We all took terrible risks. Riza risked her life to tell Roy about Pride. Roy fought against Homunculus, despite being blind. Ed, you fought against a being who could be compared to a god, bare handed no less! And even I had my share of danger to contend with, attempting to arrange the assassination of King Bradley. We all took terrible risks, but we all did it voluntarily." Here Grumman sighed and rubbed his head. "And I was a fool for going to such lengths to try to protect you, Riza, when you have proven multiple times over that you can take care of yourself."

Silenced reigned at Grumman's confession. A silence broken by Ed's scoff.

"So you were an old fool, we all get moments like that." Ed said, leaning forward a bit and gesturing at Mustang. "Hell, the bastard Colonel must make those kinds of mistakes five times a day. My question is, why didn't you just drop the restraining order and not bother with the deal?"

"You DO realize that I'm a Brigadier General now, don't you?" Roy asked tiredly. "Besides, you're such a pipsqueak that tiny insults like that barely register as a squeak to my ears."

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A MICRO MIDGET SO TINY THAT A MICROBE COULD EAT ME AND STILL BE STARVING?!" Ed shouted out, earning a hearty chuckle from everyone, even a few of the children.

"Rose?" Asked one of the younger children, pulling on Rose's sleeve. "Why is the small guy yelling so loudly?"

At this, everyone braced for another Edward outburst. A few of them were mildly disappointed but majorly shocked when it didn't happen.

"Er… Edward doesn't like being called small." Rose said by way of explanation while a vein twitched on Edward's head.

Grumman cleared his throat. "Anyways, there was indeed a reason as to why I proposed a deal instead of just dropping the restraining order. I was not lying when I spoke of the events along the Drakman/Amestris border. But what I had omitted was that I intended to send Riza and Edward there all along. Again, it was for the reasons I stated. This way though, I make it look like I had a larger plan in play. And when the mission succeeds, like I have no doubt it will, public support will rise. Military support has been very low ever since the Promised Day, the public has been regarding us with distrust and even outright suspicion. Granted, they've had reason to because of the previous administration."

"But sir, even if military support will rise, your own abilities will be called into question because of your initial decision to separate Riza and Fullmetal." Roy pointed out.

"My popularity would have taken a hit no matter what the outcome of today." Grumman said. "The most I can do now is minimize the damage."

"Right…" Roy said, looking thoughtful.

"Well, what will you two do?" Rose asked Ed and Riza.

The pair looked at each other and sighed.

"I guess we have no choice." Riza said in resignation. 

"Court is now back in session. Plaintiffs, have you considered the deal presented to you?" General Stinz asked.

"We have your honor." Riza said, looking the General dead in the eye.

"And your answer?" The General asked.

"We accept." The pair responded in unison. 

"I'll give the two of you a week's leave to re-familiarize yourselves with each other's style before sending you out." Grumman said outside of the courthouse. "Meet me in my office a week from now, at first light."

"Sir!" Riza said, snapping into a salute.

"Whatever." Ed said, lazily holding his hand up.

"Ah, but before I leave, I do have a question for you Edward." Grumman said.

"What is it sir?" Ed asked.

"Why did you not get mad when that child the accompanied Ms. Thomas called you small?" Grumman asked, a smile creeping across his face.

Ed, somehow, managed to restrain his temper. "Because…" Ed said slowly, settling for glaring at the aged Fuhrer. "It was just a child making an observation. And not the bastard Colonel poking fun at me."

"Short." Roy not-quite-whispered to Rose.

"YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME YOU WET MATCHSTICK?!" Ed instantly roared out, causing Roy to whimper in depression at being called a wet matchstick. Or, in other words, useless.

"Riza." Rose said, stepping forward. "Is it ok if you and Ed resume your training tomorrow instead of today?"

"Um… Sure." Riza said, caught off-guard by Rose's request. "But can I ask why?"

"Simple!" Rose said with a smile before walking over to Ed, grabbing his shirt, and pulling him into a kiss. After she pulled back she smiled. "I want to get my claws in him before some girl in the military tries."

Everyone watched in amazement at the number of emotions that flickered across Ed's face, both at the kiss and Rose's declaration. Shock, which was understandable considering the sudden situation. Fear, which was again understandable as the closest thing to a relationship Edward had ever had was with a mechanic that had a short fuse and a penchant for throwing wrenches. Disbelief that a girl actually wanted to go out with him. And finally, nothing. Nothing because at that moment Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, hero of the people, fainted.

**Hello folks! Happy to see me? This update was inspired by the fact that I watch way too many crime dramas. If I got any part of the actual court system wrong, oh well. I at least conveyed what I needed to convey. Thinking back, I think this is the first time that Riza's and Ed's ranks are actually mentioned. But, like I said with Roy, they've been through a lot of shit and EARNED those promotions. This will be a fairly minor part of the series. Rose got a bit bold toward the end there, huh? Next chapter will probably be dedicated to Ed and Rose because after this they'll be fighting and for obvious reasons Rose can't be involved with that. Speaking of chapters, and this may disappoint some of you, but updates for Golden Lightning WILL be slowing down. As to why, the answer is simple. I'm a writer. And not just of FMA fanfiction. I have a Naruto story on my author page that hasn't been touched for the better part of a year. I have several stories that I want to start, both fanfiction and original. I WILL continue this story, but I also WILL be writing other stories and that might impede progress. I will go ahead and thank you for your understanding. And now, review responses!**

** Lacila: See? They're not broken up. It was just a bit of a shove to get the plot started.**

** Fire From Above: As I said, next chapter will be focusing on Ed and Rose but after that I'll definitely put some more focus on the lightning alchemy.**

** ZakuroU: I'm glad that you liked my idea of there being an energy consumption ratio. This was inspired by the 2003 anime when, during the state alchemist exams, one man was disqaulified for using too much energy.**

**And that's almost all! Just two things left. Folks, quite frankly I'm beginning to run out of FMA stories to reccommend. I mean, I read plenty of FMA fanfiction, but a damn good portion of it is just one-shots. And I'm not sure how well ya'll will like those. So today, I ask all of YOU for a reccommendation. Please send me the names of any multi-chapter FMA story you think is good, whether in-progress or completed doesn't matter. Also please attatch the name of the author as well to make it easier to track down. And now, for my own reccommendation. Backfire by Dawnmoon76! It's a hilarious story about how Havoc and Breda keep trying to prank Ed and it backfires on them. As always, please review. Flamers, I dare you. Just _try_ it. I await your toasty comments that I may roast my marshmallows on them.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own an FMA shirt, but not FMA**

"Uuungh… W-What happened?" Ed asked, slowly coming back to consciousness. Looking around, he saw that he was laying on his usual napping couch at Mustang's office.

"Finally awake Ed?" Riza asked from her desk, filling out a few stacks of paperwork.

"Yeah." Ed groaned, sitting up and rubbing the automail ports of his artificial arm. "But seriously, what happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened!" Roy said, stepping out of his office with a shit-eating grin on his face. "A beautiful woman kissed you and you passed out!" Roy couldn't hold it in anymore, and he burst out laughing. "W-What's the matter Fullmetal? Never kiss a girl before?"

Ed narrowed his eyes at Mustang as all work in the office ceased to watch yet another one of the legendary confrontations between the Fullmetal and Flame alchemists. Suddenly, Ed sprouted one of his infamous Evil Grins©. "I have actually. Two of them in fact. You might even remember. My last birthday? Madam Christmas's bar? Those two sisters of yours? After you passed out they got quite… Affectionate."

The office, if it was possible, got even more silent. A dropping pin would have been like a cannon as every stared at Ed with incredulity, and Mustang stared at him with both shock and rage. "You… Did… WHAT WITH MY SISTERS?!"

"I don't know why you're so angry sir, you've done far worse than have a threesome with a superiors sisters." Riza spoke up from her desk. Truth be told, she was as shocked as the others. She never knew that Ed had it in him, but even if she was a surrogate sister for him she wouldn't begrudge him his drunken decisions.

With that proclamation, Roy looked ready to burst a blood vessel as he stared at Ed with an absolute murderous rage. A low growl escaped Roy's throat as he looked about to attack Ed. Another low growl from behind him caused Ed to turn around, paling as he saw Rose with a pissed-off expression on her face.

"Um… Before I'm eviscerated and then incinerated, I would like to say that aside from some making out, nothing actually happened." Ed said, slowly moving to the side to hide behind Breda, who was moving equally slowly to keep Edward in front of him. "I didn't want my first time to be because of a bunch of alcohol." What Edward neglected to mention was that the offer for a threesome had popped up again the next morning and that the offer was still on the table if he ever changed his mind. But no use further enraging Mustang and Rose.

"Fullmetal…" Mustang growled, clenching his fists. "If I ever find out that you did anything with any of my sisters, I'll be having myself barbequed shrimp. Understand?"

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT HE COULD CARVE A HOUSE OUT OF A SINGLE GRAIN OF SUGAR?!" Ed instantly shouted out, only to dodge as a fireball blasted the spot he had once been standing at.

"I said, do you understand?" Roy asked, flexing his fingers as if he was going to snap them again.

"Y-Yeah." Ed said nodding ferverently.

"Now that the boys talk is over…" Rose said in a sickly sweet voice as she grabbed Ed's flesh arm, causing the boy to pale in fear once again. "I'll be taking Edward with me. Does anyone object?"

"No." Roy ground out before heading back into his office.

"Nope." Havoc said, lighting a cigarette.

"…" Falman said nothing, choosing just to watch the scene unfold.

"Not my business." Fuery said from the disassembled radio.

"Have fun!" Breda said cheerfully.

"Bring him to my apartment when you're done with him. We still need to set up a training schedule." Riza said, signing a piece of paper.

"Will do Miss Hawkeye!" Rose called out cheerfully, walking to the door, dragging Ed by his arm.

"Traitors!" Ed cried out, clawing at the floor with his automail arm as he was helplessly dragged out of the office.

"S-So... Can you untie me now?" Ed asked nervously, fidgeting from his position of being tied to a wooden stake.

"Not until you tell me what you did wrong!" Rose said, turning away from the bound blond and motioning for her cadre of children to continue beating him up with a stick. (She had convinced them that he was a very lifelike piñata. The older kids knew better, but it wasn't every day your guardian let you hit someone with a stick.)

"But I didn't do anything wrong! I told you that nothing happened between me and Mustang's sisters!" Edward said in between trying to get the children beating him to back off. "And I still don't know why it would concern you!"

"Hit 'em harder." Rose instructed the children, who all eagerly did as they were told.

"Stop it you crazy kids!" Ed said, squirming as the kids went to town on him. Luckily for Edward, most of the strikes were on his automail limbs. But the ones that landed on his actual flesh _hurt_. "Is this about that kiss at the courthouse?!"

"Obviously." Rose said, her voice so cold that even the ice queen Olivier would have shivered upon hearing it.

"I _fainted_ after that kiss! And the first time I saw you afterwords was when you dragged me out to tie me to this damn pole! If you'd give me a few minutes we could actually talk!" Ed shouted, though he was quickly shut up as one of the children landed a hit in a… sensitive area.

Rose winced, both at Ed's words and in sympathy for the blond who was now whimpering pathetically.

"Ok children, let's go inside for a snack!" Rose said, much to the children's delight as they dropped their improvised weapons and rushed into the house. After the snack, Rose put the children down for a nap, and only afterword did she go back into the backyard to visit the tied-up alchemist. "You wanted to talk? Ok, start talking."

Ed groaned as he heard the slight undercurrent in Rose's voice. Why did all of the unstable women find HIM attractive? First Winry and her wrenches, Lust and her advances on him while they were fighting, and now Rose. When would he ever get a break?

"Any chance I can be let down?" Ed asked hopefully.

"No." Rose said in a dead and pitiless voice.

"Damn…" Ed muttered before looking at Rose. "Well, here it is Rose. I do like you. Maybe even romantically. But… We haven't even been going out! The closest to a date we've had is the dinner where we caught up! True, I've been spending a lot of time with you lately and I've really been enjoying it, but me helping a friend take care of an orphanage is hardly 'laying a claim'!"

Rose winced at that. It was true that they'd rarely done anything that would constitute as 'dating', but they'd been doing so well together and Rose thought… That by kissing him…

"I screwed up didn't I?" Rose said, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. "I did something brash and I completely screwed this up…"

"No no! Not at all!" Ed said, waving his hands in denial as best as he could with his arms bound. "It was just sudden! I needed time to think, and then you just happened to walk in while I was arguing with Brigadier General Bastard."

"I-I didn't screw up?" Rose asked, sniffling a little as she held back the tears.

"Of course not!" Ed said, flashing her one of his signature smiles. "In fact, would you care to accompany me to dinner tonight?"

"Of course!" Rose said, her sadness gone as she embraced the bound Edward. Pulling away, she blushed a little as she realized that she _might_ have overreacted a little. "Heh… I guess I should probably untie you…"

"No need." Ed said brightly. With a few shifts of his muscles, the ropes fell away and he stood up and began stretching. "Ow… Damn… Those children have good arms…"

"I… Wha-... HOW?!" Rose exclaimed. "You've been bound and trying to get free for hours! And now you're suddenly and escape artist?!

"Well, if I had gotten free that way, you would have been even madder at me." Ed said, now going through a few of his fighting style's katas to work the rest of the kinks out of his muscles. "So I pretended. Besides, those knots are nothing like teachers. She used to tie me and Al up and toss us into a river to get free."

Rose sweatdropped at the mention of Ed's possibly homicidal teacher. "Why…"

"Anyways!" Ed interrupted, not wanting to revisit those memories. "I should get ready for our _date_." Ed put a bit of extra emphasis on the word 'date' while winking at Rose. "I'll pick you up at seven. And don't worry about a babysitter. Breda owes me a favor from a month or so ago for helping him file some overdue paperwork before Hawkeye could find out."

"Well you just have everything planned out, don't you?" Rose asked, composure regained and smiling at the blonde.

"But of course!" Ed said, giving a theatrical bow. "I'll see you later Rose!"

And with that said, Ed left the house to get ready.

"So you're CERTAIN that there's no dogs around here?"

Ed sighed in frustration. He loved Breda like a brother, but the man's fear of dogs was starting to get annoying.

"The only dog around here is a dog of the military, and he's going on a date." Ed said.

Breda couldn't help but chuckle as he patted Ed on the back. The news that Ed was going on a date was surprising to say the least. That he needed a babysitter even more so. Even so, the portly member of Mustang's team was happy for Ed and was glad to watch after a bunch of munchkins to give the kid a happy night.

"Here we are!" Ed said, reaching the large house that he had spent weeks fixing up for his girlfriend(?). "So, how do I look?"

Breda stepped back to take in Edwards's appearance. Even years later, the young alchemist favored his usual combination of black jeans and a black shirt with his red overcoat and combat boots. Tonight though, Ed had the decency to change. Currently he was in a pair of black slacks with a neatly tucked in red dress shirt. (He'd refused to change his color scheme.) His hair was combed back as neatly as he could get it, and he held a single Yellow Tulip in his non-mechanical hand.

"You look great champ!" Breda said, ignoring the way Ed rolled his eyes at being called 'champ'.

"All right. Here goes nothing." Ed reached out and knocked on the door. Some minor crashing could be heard from within as well as the babble of young voices before Rose opened up the door.

"Uh…" At that moment, words failed Edward, and even Breda's jaw got a little slack as they looked at the young woman.

Despite being somewhat hassled by the children under her care, Rose was a vision. She wore a white dress with a long skirt, but a long slit cut up one side in order to show off quite a bit of her dark skin. Her two-toned hair (a genetic quirk and not dye like Ed had first believed) had been carefully combed and bound with a pair of slender sticks in a Xingese style. She wore no makeup, but hardly needed any as her skin was unbelievably fair.

"Damn lucky bastard…" Breda whispered before taking note of Ed's sudden stillness and shoving him forward a bit.

"Um… Well…" Ed said, trying to find his elusive voice. "I brought you this." He handed Rose the Yellow Tulip. "Though with how you look, I'm thinking that I should have brought some Calla Lily instead."

Breda grinned even as he mentally scribbled that one down. It'd make a good pick-up line for that florist near the barracks.

"Thank you Edward." Rose said, taking the Yellow Tulip and working it into her hair. "Shall we go?"

"We shall." Ed said, offering up his arm, which Rose accepted. "See you later Breda!"

"Have fun chief!" Breda called out, waving the pair off as they walked to the car parked a bit down the way. "You've earned it kid." Breda said under his breath before turning to walk into the house.

**Merry Christmas to all, my little duckies! Have a holiday update! I cut it off as I wasn't sure if I should write out the actual date or not give me your opinions and if enough people want it, I'll do that for chapter the next. Now then, some people might think it's a bit OOC of Ed to be bragging about getting together with Mustang's sisters. You'd probably be right. But you know what? Considering how much Roy can wave over Ed's head, I think it was about time that Ed got some new weapons in his arsenal.** **And a few of you might be confused about the flower thing, so let me explain. In the languag of flowers, which is a real thing and also seems to be catching on in many fanfics, a Yellow Tulip means 'There's sunshine in your smile'. This can be taken to mean that Ed likes it when Rose smiles at him. The other flower mentioned, Calla Lily, means 'Beauty'. Which states that Ed finds Rose to be beautiful. Also, with the last chapter I reached a personal goal of mine, which was to have a story with 50 favorites. I would like to personally thank everyone who's ever favorited my story. Give yourselves a hand guys. Now let's see what we can do about reaching my NEW goal of 100 faves! That aside though, it's time for review responses!**

** darkpaladin89: I thank you for the effort, but a flame's not the same without the incendiary comment.**

** Quinn1989: I hate to say this, but there is no Riza vs. Rose. Riza's relationship to Edward is brother/sister. Sometimes even a bit mother/son. But NOT boyfriend/girlfriend. (Maybe in a future story) And she would not step in the way unless she actively disapproved of the woman in question. And while Rose has done little in both anime and manga, she's done nothing to incur Riza's wrath.**

**And now for my reading reccommendation! Got Your Back by Puddycat! It's a series of Parental!Roy/Ed one-shots. Lots of fluff though, so be warned. Read and review!**


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